Know Your Enemy
by BleedingHeartsoftheWorldUnite
Summary: After learning of a potential threat, Leon travels to Europe in search of information. Mystery beginning to unravel, something happens to Leon's partner, making things much more interesting. Post RE5, non slash, sequel to "Not Meant For Me", recap inside. Incomplete.
1. Stairway to Heaven

**_The Story So Far..._**

**Robin Burton, a survivor of Raccoon City and Barry Burton's adopted daughter, has been in love with Chris Redfield for a majority of her life, but she had kept it a secret. On her first mission as a BSAA operative-in-training, in her birth father's native county of Finland, Robin encounters a rival for Chris' attention. Mistaking identities, she is overwhelmed by her emotions and abandons the mission. Finding out that she has gone missing, Chris goes after Robin, realizing not only her feelings, but his own as well. In the wilderness, Robin is mauled by a mutated bear, but she is saved by Leon S. Kennedy. Partnering up, his mission to arrest one Noah Walker for blackmail, hers to bring him in for involvement with the Uroboros Project, they defeat the now mutated criminal, only to be contacted by his boss. After taunting Robin, they find files about Noah's mission, files that confirm the President's guilt in a number of underground operations. After reuniting with Chris, they leave the bunker before it self-destructs. Once things return to normal, Leon contacts Robin with a job, but she is unsure about whether or not she can take it. Robin and Chris begin sneaking around behind her father's back, getting caught in the act. Barry kicks Robin out, so she moves in with Chris.**

Everything seemed to be happening so fast! One moment Robin was enjoying life, embracing her lover, and the next, the earth had been snatched from under her feet sending her into a tailspin. To top it all off, she was still suffering from whatever God-forsaken stomach flu she had caught a week ago! But, in all of that turmoil, she was able to find one ray of light - Chris. Chris had been her saving grace and had not only been there for her in her time of need, but agreed to move her in with him without a second thought. At first, considering they had only been together for a little over a month, she was hesitant.

Discussing matters further, curled up together on the worn hunter-green couch, he pointed out the most obvious statement of all - Robin spent most of her time at his house anyway, so all this is was taking the next step. She couldn't argue with that logic, necessarily, but she reasoned that they have only been together for five weeks now, and no matter how much you loved someone, moving in that soon could add unwanted pressure to the relationship. She also had to point out that they had only just gotten back on track since getting together in the first place.

Chris knew that she had valid arguments, but he saw no reason for them to not move in together. Scarcely believing that he was about to say this, he hurried and got it out in the open, "Think of this as practice for the future."

The future, as in wedding bells and baby carriages? Or the indiscernible, yet-to-happen path that laid before every living being? Doubting that he meant the later, Robin realized that she hadn't ever thought that far into the future. She loved her family very much, and she would like to see it for herself, but the thought of being a mother shook her to the bone. And she had spent so long lusting after a seemingly unobtainable dream, she had never put much serious stock into things like marriage. But sure, she had had fleeting thoughts about getting married, just like almost every other little girl.

Besides, it wasn't like he was proposing to her right this minute - He was just looking forward, like any centered individual would. But still, marriage? That was a huge step, and Robin wasn't even twenty-five yet!

Twirling a strand of jet-black hair around her finger, Robin gazed over at the mantel, where Chris had kept all of his important pictures. One of them showed a much younger Chris playing with his baby sister in the summer, a larger frame encased a portrait of the entire Redfield family that had been taken shortly before their parents untimely deaths, and the one at the end was a picture of the entire S.T.A.R.S. team that had been taken before Rebecca had joined the team. There was a picture of him and Barry at a hotdog-eating contest, Chris with a third place ribbon and Barry with a first place medal, and finally, one of him taken at a mall photo booth with both Claire and Jill. She wondered if there would be any pictures of her up there someday.

"Robin," He said gently, hand on her knee underneath the covers, "I want you to go with Leon."

Ok, she wasn't expecting that to be the next thing that would come out of his mouth, not in a million years. All she could do was blink stupidly at him for several minutes while she tried to form a sentence, "But... I was just kicked out of my house, and we... Why are you even suggesting that I go at a time like this?"

"You need to get away from here; to focus your attention on something else. Besides, from what you told me, it sounds like someone out there knows who you are. Trust me, if you don't go, you'll probably regret it." It was obvious by the tone of his voice and the way he was looking at her - holding a gaze full of lament - that he didn't want her to leave, but he knew Robin, and he knew that he was right about this.

She knew it too. Collecting her thoughts in a bottle, she looked at him thoughtfully, "You're not wrong about that... But the timing of everything couldn't be worse!"

"Robin," He uttered her name so delicately, his voice came out resembling a purr.

He just wasn't giving her the option to say no, and already she was grateful for that. She really did need to do this, even if the timing could have been more favorable. Flashing him a half-smile, she joked, "Why do you want me out of here so badly already?"

He smiled coyly, "If I told you that, I'd have to kill you."

Putting her finger to her chin in mock thought, Robin smirked, her deviously dirty little mind envisioning a number of methods he could use on her, "I dunno, I might have to take you up on that... How would you 'kill' me anyways?"

"It would involve me blowing your brains out," He ran his hand down her face, pausing with his hand on her chin before gruffly pulling it back - a loving version of what the cold-hearted Albert Wesker had done to the ambitious Excella Gionne when they had been discussing her usefulness, "And not in the way you're thinking."

She frowned, a look of semi-genuine hurt on her broad face, "Chris Redfield, what kind of girl do you think I am?"

For the briefest moment he considered not answering her at all, but ultimately he replied, only half-jokingly, "The one I would do anything for- the one that's going to be the death of me."

"Only if you let me." Getting serious again, she pecked him on the cheek, "Thank you."

Holding his cheek where her lips had touched, he nodded, "Just don't make me regret this."

**The Next Morning...**

Finally, Robin had woken up exactly where she wanted to be - in Chris's arms! Scared at first that maybe she was dreaming, Robin sat up, poking and prodding Chris with her right index finger. Grabbing her hand irritably, he curled her fingers to her palm so that she couldn't poke him anymore. He fell back asleep before letting her hand go, so she carefully had to pry it off so that she could go to the bathroom. Mumbling something about death in his sleep, he released her hand of his own accord and rolled over. Robin dashed off to the toilet, almost not making it in time, making a mental note to not poke Chris while he was sleeping... at least if she had to go pee.

"I almost peed myself back there..." She grumbled at Chris when he skulked into the bathroom, already in the process of flushing the toilet. At least she didn't have to vomit this morning, that was a perk.

Using the john as she washed her hands, he yawned, alternating the arms he stretched over his head, turning groggily to leer at Robin, "Maybe next time you won't poke me awake."

She shrugged indifferently, "I had to make sure that I wasn't dreaming."

"Are you always a morning person?" He groaned, wanting nothing more than a few more hours in bed. He knew that she would be leaving today, meaning that every moment was precious, but it was hard for him to pull together after just waking up.

"Yeah, I kinda am." She nodded, skirting around him to head to the kitchen, as per her usual morning ritual. Following her normal schedule, she would have woken up, went to the bathroom, got something to eat, work out and then take a shower. Chris's routine went something like bathroom, shower, then breakfast and a workout. Well, it wasn't too much different, so it wouldn't too bad.

Catching her by the bare waist, Robin only in a bra and a matching thong, Chris held her in his arms for a moment so that he could soak in the natural scent radiating off of her, kissing the nape of her neck, "Where do you think you're going?"

"To get breakfast? I don't know about you, but I like to eat in the morning," To prove her point, her stomach rumbled, "See?"

Begrudgingly, he let her go, "I take a shower first."

She frowned, brightening back up almost instantly, "I'll make us breakfast then!"

Letting her go, Robin scampered off to the kitchen while he got in the shower. He hoped that she was a descent cook, or at the very least didn't burn his kitchen down. She wasn't terrible per say, but she was far from getting her own show on the cooking network. Making eggs of the scrambled variety, heaps of toast four slices tall, orange juice, enough bacon to feed a large family, she stacked two plates full of grub for the two of them, leaving plenty for leftovers. One thing Chris soon learned about Robin was that she was a firm believer in leftovers.

Dressed in his most casual clothing - a pair of light jeans and formfitting tee shirt - Chris sat down at the small dinner table across from Robin who was already stuffing her face full of crispy pig. Amused by the amount of food that she could fit into her mouth at once, he made the mistake of saying, "Easy, or you might eat the table too."

Gorgeous grey eyes glaring daggers at him, very sensitive to her weight, Robin stole his toast frim his plate, "No toast for you!"

Sensing that she was angry by his careless comment, he made a mental note to avoid talking about her weight. Good luck with that one, because women always had a way of bringing it up, "This looks delicious."

Beaming proudly, she gave him back a slice of toast, just one, "Thank you."

Once breakfast was over, Chris doing the dishes so that Robin could get ready, he realized that she probably wouldn't have anything of her own to pack for the mission. Her sisters were supposed to be bringing some of her things by, but he would bet that she would already be gone by then. Deciding to loan her additional supplies, he packed her bag for her while she was getting dressed. Not having anything of her own to wear, she borrowed a pair of Chris's old things, but wearing them was like an empty bottle lost in the ocean, so he called Claire to bring Robin some clothes. It was around eight in the morning, so she would be awake by now.

Bringing over a dozen outfits for Robin, Claire had pulled Chris aside while she got dressed to chat with her brother. Stepping out of the bedroom in a pair of grey pants, a cranberry jacket, and a sleek black tank top, Robin overheard the end of their hushed conversation. It wasn't like she had meant to spy on them, it just happened! Besides, it might be good to hear what they had to say. She was hidden behind the wall, neither sibling aware of her presence as they conversed.

"...Sure about this?" Claire sounded doubtful.

"I am." He certainly sounded sure.

Assuming that they were talking about her moving in together, she came around the corner, a strong front her face, though she was hurt that Claire was skeptical about their relationship. She liked Claire and had thought that the relationship was mutual, but now she had to wonder about that, "Thanks again for the clothes, Claire."

Looking at his black-banded watch, Chris frowned at the two most important woman in his life, "You had better call Leon and give him your answer."

Quavering voice matching his expression, Robin sighed, "I guess I should."

Handing Robin her phone so that she wouldn't have to dig around for her own, and partially to break up the sight of her brother and his girlfriend, Claire informed her that Leon was third on the contact list. Robin flicked down the screen, passing by Chris's number and someone she assumed was in TerraSave as well, seeing that Leon was in fact third on her list as promised. Punching in the number, she smiled at Chris while she waited for the blonde to answer.

There were butterflies in her stomach, but that was probably just the flu.

"Claire?" He inquired, picking up the phone on the first ring. During his lifetime, mostly due to the events of Raccoon City, he had made it a habit to answer his phone as soon as possible - which because of his well-honed reflexes was pretty damn fast. Claire's imprisonment at Rockfort Island also ensured that he would pick up with all haste.

"Not quite." Robin chuckled.

He recognized her voice immediately, "Robin. So, have you made your decision?"

She looked at Chris for reassurance, "I have. You're going to need people of intelligence on this mission. Quest. Thing."

"That rules you out then." He indulged her inner nerd, shocking her even more by simply knowing the line.

Overhearing the conversation and at a loss, the Redfield siblings looked at each other in confusion. Claire at least knew where it came from, but somehow she was only half surprised to find out that Leon was familiar with the "Lord of the Rings". He was an interesting man.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>What, what? That's right; I just put in a reference to my favorite comedy, Blades of Glory! Man, I love that movie so much - It lifts my spirits whenever I'm down. And this is only the first chapter, which is obviously a set up for the action! Yeah! Sorry, I'm really hyper right now...

**To Recap This Chapter:** Robin and Chris talk about Leon's offer some more, Chris encouraging her to take it. She agrees with him, calling Leon the next morning to let him know that she's in.

**Song: **"Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin.

**Disclaimer: **Capcom owns Resident Evil, not me. All respective properties, like, but not limited to, songs, belong to their respective brands. All I can lay claim to is the Varis family... and this work of fiction. Any game-related information used in this story comes from the Resident Evil Wikia, actual game play, and videos (official ones of the games) come from YouTube.


	2. He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother

She turned and hurried back up the steps, giving him something to remember her by. Nuzzling up to Chris, Robin brushed her lips against his, applying the smallest amount of pressure possible. Once she was gone, they won't be able to contact each other, so the kiss had to be sweet to convey their feelings. Insatiable, the kiss deepened, becoming slow yet urgent. Once she left, they wouldn't be able to touch each other or even hear the other's voice, so the kiss also had to be passionate and memorable enough to tide them over until they could see each other again. It was more than sufficient on both counts.

Neither wanted to part from the titillating embrace, but Robin had a plane to catch.

Stroking her cheek with the palm of his hand, Chris kissed her forehead, absorbing every last bit of her that he could, down to the smell of her skin to the barrowed clothes on her back. She smiled at him with her eyes, the amber flecks looking extra bright against their grey base, yet despite the auroral look in her eyes, her face looked pained. Tracing her full, kissable lips with his thumb, he wondered what was plaguing her mind this time, "What is it, Robin?"

She wasn't sure how to answer that question, because she knew that it would come out wrong, and even if she somehow did manage to say it correctly, she had the distinct feeling that she would miss her flight. So she said instead, "I'm just going to miss you while I'm gone."

But that wasn't what she was dreading; part of it maybe, but not the full picture. He could see that, but he decided to let her say it herself, on her own terms. It could have been important, but he figured that if it was that pressing, she would have mentioned it earlier. He trusted her implicitly...

**Meanwhile...**

Not caring to see her brother interacting with another woman, no matter how innocently, Claire waited in the car, drumming her fingertips against the steering wheel. It wasn't that she was jealous, that would be so wrong and so very disgusting; Claire just didn't have the stomach to see her older brother kissing a woman. Maybe she wouldn't have minded so much if he had ever had a girlfriend when he was taking care of her, but he never did, so it unnerved her. But in all fairness, she actually thought that Robin was right for her brother, even if she was younger than the redhead. Something about them just clicked in all the right ways.

Weary of waiting for Robin, Claire wondered how she had managed to provide not only clothes, but transportation for Chris's girlfriend - not that she minded. It was just a bit of a mystery to her as to why Chris didn't take her himself. He had a mode of transportation, and Robin had that Jeep, so why didn't he just take her to the airport, or at the very least, bring her Jeep back to the apartment? But then it hit her like a speeding bullet: Chris had to stay at the apartment so he could collect Robin's things when her sisters came to drop them off, not to mention the fact that if he took her to the airport, they probably would never stop clinging to each other.

The current stage of their romance was sickening sweet.

Honking the horn at the inseparable duo, she shouted out of the window at them, "Hey, the flight leaves in less than twenty minutes!"

Groaning, she saw them whisper their final farewells before Robin slid into the front seat, her luggage already in the back. She looked kinda depressed for someone who was about to go do something that they supposedly loved. Claire had the sneaking suspicion that Robin's dream was little more than a tool to let her be close to Chris, but so long as she was doing good for the worldl, she didn't mind what the reasons were. Gathering that the hangdog passenger was lovesick, Claire felt a little bad for the young woman, reminded forcibly of Steve... Steve... Fighting back the tears that still stung even after all of these years, Claire drove off in silence.

"You love my brother, right?" Claire suddenly looked at Robin from the corner of her eye. She was curious about Robin's interest in her brother, especially because to her, it was something new.

"Chris is..." She paused, considering that she was talking to Chris's sister, "the most important thing to me. If he wasn't, I would have never have chosen him over my family."

Claire knew that she was telling the truth - Robin loved her family more than anything. And since Chris was probably taboo number one, she would never have looked at him if she wasn't in love. Considering that Robin had also let herself be ostracized, it was pretty obvious that she was in love. Not to mention the fact that she was simply glowing like a woman in love.

Hitting the proverbial nail on the head, Claire kept her voice steady as to not give away an ounce of emotion, "Do you see a future with him?"

Chris had asked her that very same question only yesterday, and at the time, she had been unable to answer. Not much had really changed between then and now, but somehow, she had access to stand just within range of an answer; basically she still had no clue, but she was at least able to think about it, "I would like to say yes, but I have no clue."

"So...?" Claire wasn't sure Robin had meant by that, but if Chris had been there, he probably would have understood.

Shaking her head, Robin tried again, "I love Chris with everything I have - I just don't know if I can see us getting married."

That made sense to her, "That's good to hear! But I promise you, if you ever do anything to hurt my brother, I will personally see to it that you pay!"

Looking affronted, Robin shook her head so furiously, Claire was surprised she didn't give herself whiplash, "I understand what you're saying, but I would never willingly hurt him. That would be like me cutting out my own heart and doing all kinds of evil to it."

Pleased by what she had heard, they sped on to the airport...

**A Few Minutes Later...**

Kept up by the long goodbye with Chris, which she didn't regret, Robin had to sprint through the terminal to find Leon among the sea of faces. Besides being her partner in all of this, it was he who had both of their tickets. Claire had wanted to see Leon again, but things were so down to the wire, she just saw Robin off at the front entrance. Seeing a familiar face waiting for her by the gate, the raven-haired female slowed down, smiling at her new friend. He nodded at her, watching her go through the metal detector with her carry-on.

"Leon!" She ran up to him once she was cleared to board, "Sorry it took so long to get here..."

He shook his head, a tuft of blonde falling into his ice blue eyes, "It's fine."

That was one thing she also liked about Leon - While he was all ice, Chris was liquid fire.

Grateful for his general attitude, she followed him into the plane, remaining quiet as they took their seats in Economy Class. Turning to his companion, Leon informed her that they would be getting their arms once they landed. She wasn't too concerned about that because she may or may not have had a case made of a special alloy that didn't register on metal detectors. As if Robin would travel anywhere without some kind of a weapon to protect herself!

Realizing that she had no idea where they were even going, she turned to ask Leon. Unfortunately, her stomach began to toss and protest, so she had to run to the bathroom. Not able to shut the door behind her, everyone in the area heard her being sick. Concerned about her health, Leon followed her to the bathroom. She was still curled next to the toilet when he crouched behind her to make sure that she was alright.

"Sorry," She mumbled as she flushed the pot, face positively green.

Shaking his head, and assuming that she was going to be alright by the color rapidly returning to her skin, he helped her up, "Maybe we should postpone this for another-"

"No! I have to go!" She snarled rather than insisted. This was something that she had to see through, no matter what!

Twisting on the tap for her to wash her hands, he spoke sternly, more than obviously worried about her wellbeing, "Don't force yourself!"

"I lost everything in Raccoon City! My parents, my brothers, and my home: everything. Hearing that bastard saying their name... It made me wonder how he knew about me. My parents had come to America together with no family or friends between them, and they stayed that way until the end. Having nothing for twelve years and suddenly hearing a name that hasn't been said that entire time... I have to know who that man is and what he knows." She was crying, silently, but he still saw her silvery tears falling in the overhead light.

Giving in so that she wouldn't keep crying, he agreed to continue with the mission, "I suppose we've come this far already. But," He said grimly, "You should think about what you have now. The past is important, but if that's all you think of, you can lose sight of the future."

She nodded resolutely, "I know. I have too much to look forward to."

"Excuse me, but we're ready to take off now. I need you both to return to your seats." A rosy-cheeked stewardess slid up behind them, catching them both off guard, winking at Leon and acting as if Robin were the bane of humanity.

They apologized to her and hurried back to their seats, buckling in. One of the more irritable passengers snapped at them for the hold-up, which actually had nothing to do with the scene in the restroom, "Keep your girlfriend at home if she's sick!"

She was about to snap back, but Leon held her back, shaking his head, "He's not worth it."

Mumbling to herself, Robin took her seat, settling in for the flight before them. Recalling that she had been about to say something to him, Leon asked her what it was. Still steamed about the man and his comment, she didn't even hear him speaking to her. Figuring that it must not have been very important, Leon sat back, feeling the plane rolling along the runway. He wished that he could have been flying on the company jet, but given the state of things, he understood why he had to travel this way and was more than fine doing it.

Too many questions about what he was doing and the girl he was doing it with.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>Um... Robin is still sick, but she forces herself to endure! Not good, boys and girls, not good. I mean, perseverance is a good thing, but not to the point where it could kill you. And Steve gets a part! Yay! What, I like Steve! Code: Veronica version. I don't have a wii, so I have no clue about any "improvements" they might have made.

**To Recap This Chapter:** It's time for Robin to leave, so she has to say good bye to Chris. Once they finally do say good bye, Claire gives Robin a lift to the airport, asking her what her intentions are with her brother. Robin explains herself to Claire, and they part outside the airport. Leon meets Robin, and they have a small chat about why Robin has to do this.

**Song: **For Claire, I give you "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother", by The Hollies. I was thinking of another song, one by Joss Stone, but I think that it would fit better at a later chapter, so that's why I chose this song.

**Disclaimer: **Capcom owns Resident Evil, not me. All respective properties, like, but not limited to, songs, belong to their respective brands. All I can lay claim to is the Varis family... and this work of fiction. Any game-related information used in this story comes from the Resident Evil Wikia, actual game play, and videos (official ones of the games) come from YouTube.


	3. All By Myself

Pulling up the gravelly driveway, a common taxicab parked outside a two story house, the bay windows in its white stucco walls gleaming in the morning sun. Opening the door and stepping out of the florescent vehicle, after handing the irritable driver his fee, a silhouette glanced around the yard; The house's normally well-kept yard was strewn with clothes and rubbish. Knowing whose clothes they were without having to identify a single article, the shadow strolled forward to the door, confident in their decision, rapping smartly on the burnished oak. Hearing a voice shouting on the other side of the door but unable to make out the words, the visitor surmised that it was probably Barry telling his wife to ignore it if it was "that traitor".

Kathy opened the door looking uncharacteristically haggard, her scarlet hair hanging limply against her tear stained cheeks, dark eyes rimmed with red, as if she had been up all night crying, "Hell- What are you doing here?"

Her words were not unkind, but they were full of horror. Flashing the frazzled mother an apologetic smile, the guest shoved past the housewife, making their way inside the house, "Sorry about this."

Falling mutely to the shadows, arms wrapped protectively against her chest, she nodded at the intruder, eventually pointing a weary finger at a pair of silvery steel double doors, "He's in the kitchen."

Understanding that he would be armed, the mystery person thanked her for the heads up, "I understand."

Sniffling, she turned and ran up the stairs, grateful that Moira and Polly where outside of the house: They were bringing Robin a small bag of her clothes and toiletries.

Seeing the Burton family divided so was a tough sight to bear, but that was the price that must be paid for happiness. Entering the spacious kitchen, spotless and stocked well enough to be a professional chef's workspace, the smell of salami wafted immediately into the nostrils. Barry was slicing away at a plump tomato, the red juice flowing freely underneath his jerky movements, the anger evident in the set of his shoulders. Walking cautiously up to the man, the shadow cleared its throat to let its presence be known. Stabbing the knife viciously into the cutting board before turning around, Barry glared at the uninvited guest when his eyes fell on an all-too-familiar face.

"We have to talk..." The shadow coldly declared.

**Somewhere In China...**

Leading a humble, covert group of mercenaries through an abandoned rice paddy, a moan ripped through the humid night sky like undead fingers through living flesh. Halting directly behind a lithe, feminine figure, the youngest merc's eyes came to rest fully on the leader's lower back. Aware of a pair of eyes on her, she turned to the second oldest, herself regrettably the most advanced, giving him a discreet nod. Interpreting the gesture, he waded over to the boy, barely making a single ripple as he ghosted through the low water, smacking him in the back of the head. Loosing his balance, the boy fell over, landing square on his back. Groaning at the boy's incompetence, the leader continued moving as to avoid revealing their location further, not bothering to wait for the soldier.

Following the ruthless one, the solider who smacked the boy paused at his side for a quick word of advice, "The battlefield isn't a place to be eying a piece of ass."

Grumbling, the boy begrudgingly followed his superior, "Whatever you say, Oliveira."

Spreading her troop out in a circular formation, the woman went over to where Carlos Olivira stood. She didn't know him in the past, but he had changed a lot since Raccoon City. His hair was shorter now, moused up on top, and it was considerably darker. His face was sporting a healthy supply of stubble, and he had become much more serious. Still as good-looking as ever, he had kept his flirtatious ways - he just chose when to use them now.

Leaning up against him in a seductive manner, chest sticking into his back, she whispered enticingly into his ear, "I don't appreciate being called a 'piece of ass', but your help is more than welcome."

Keeping a straight face, no doubt uninterested in the woman, Carlos gladly took her compliment, wishing that she would step away, "I've seen what happens in the field when sex enters the equation."

Impressed by his disinterest, though admittedly a bit affronted, she walked away, standing in her own position. They had one chance to do this the easy way, and quite honestly, that was how she preferred things. At least, that was how she felt now, after having lived so long and having made so many mistakes...

**An Hour Later, Just Before Landing...**

Nodding off into the first stages of a coma, her head rolled onto genuine leather-clad shoulders, but she remained undisturbed. Casting a sideways look at the slumbering woman by his side, Leon could tell that nothing was going to wake her up to the world, not even if the plane were to crash in a flaming vortex. Brushing a strand of loose hair away from her face, she snuggled closer to the human pillow, uttering a single name under her breath, "Chris..."

Chris. Of course she would think that it was him brushing her hair off of her.

Thinking of how lucky she was to already have found love - especially when he couldn't even find a girlfriend - he flashed back to the female spy who had not only crossed his path once, but twice. The sly temptress had lied to him repeatedly and continued to use him for her own personal gain, leading him through hoop after hoop, but... He just couldn't forget the enigmatic Ada Wong. He wasn't deluded enough to think that there was any real emotion between the both of them, either good or bad, but he knew that neither would let the other die. Lead them to their death, maybe, but they could never kill each other.

But then again, her words to him in Raccoon City still haunted him, "I'm just a woman who fell in love with you, nothing more." If that were true, then why did things always end up the way that they did? Ada would vanish and he would have to escape some sort of explosion - Couldn't they ever meet under normal circumstances? But with Ada, he doubted that there was such a thing as "normal". He really had no luck with women - either they wanted to kill him, or were unavailable in one form or another...

All of a sudden, Robin woke with a start, accidentally smacking Leon in the face when she jerked awake. Apologizing, she flailed her hands to emphasizing her point, "God, I am sorry! I don't know what happened..."

Considering that she was asleep, she packed a pretty good punch. Telling her again and again that it was alright, she finally believed him, "Take it easy, I don't want to see what you can do when you're awake."

"You're making fun of me!" She frowned at him for teasing her, swatting the side of his arm, finally recalling what it was that she had been meaning to ask him, "Oh! That's right, I still don't know where we're going!"

"To follow up on a lead. You remember the Spencer Estate?" He was well aware that she would at least be acquainted with the basics, "The report said that files pertaining to a secret experiment were found, but due to the disappearance of agent Valentine, nothing was done about it."

Chris really hadn't mentioned what had happened at the Spencer Estate, and even now, no one alive spoke about it, not that she blamed them. Those last few years were hard on everyone. "What was the experiment?"

Surprised that she had no idea what the experiment was, he reminded himself that she and Chris had only just started seeing each other, therefore, he had no reason to talk about it with her, "The Wesker Children."

She paled considerably and he thought that he might have caught her eye twitch, "Wesker... Children? !"

"According to what the files said, there were thirteen of them, but only two survived." He watched as she was about to have a panic attack, baffled at the petrified look on her face, "But that was before last year."

She had never met Albert Wesker, but she had heard a great deal about him, "Wesker was... No, it doesn't matter what he was. But you say that there could be another one out there?"

Thinking he probably shouldn't have mentioned Wesker to her, Leon backtracked, "This has nothing to do with him. Honestly, I don't even know if this has anything to do with Umbrella."

How embarrassing to be afraid of shadows and someone else's monster! Smiling weakly at him, she got a grip on herself, "I guess that I've heard such horrible stories about him, and seeing things that no child should... I dunno, I guess that I built him up to be something more than what he really was. Enough of this, let's just focus on the mission!"

"Well said," he agreed, slipping her a copy of the report.

"It was never swept?" She found it more than a teensy bit odd that the Spencer Estate had remained untouched since Jill's apparent demise, "Even after she was found to be alive?"

He had no ready answer for that, but it was a safe guess to think that the reason the Spender Estate was never examined was simply becuase of the importance of Jill's disappearance, and once that the search was given up, the B.S.A.A. just left the area, completely forgetting all about the reason they had came in the first place. That wasn't an incorrect thought, though it wasn't the end all answer either. There was another reason why the Spencer Estate had been untouched - The Guardians of Insanity had run amok inside the castle.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>Who is this mystery person who dares enters Barry's kitchen? Well, if you want to know who it is, you'll just have to wait and see! And no, I will never let the sandwich thing die! EVER! Long live Carlos! Especially movie version... Yum. Alright, I know that making game Carlos more like movie Carlos is going piss a majority of you off, but I do have a reason! For one, movie Carlos seemed older to begin with, and two, over ten years have passed since the game. I'm just saying! Oh, and just in case some of you might not know (just so no one gets confused), the Guardian of Insanity is a nasty piece of work from the "Lost in Nightmares" scenario. Ah, the only redeemable thing about that entire game... Well, maybe that's a bit harsh, but as much as I play RE5 (which is way too much), I have to admit that that game is a complete... Suffice it to say that I have a love/hate relationship with the fifth game. I have never played the Darkside Chronicles or the Umbrella Chronicles (no wii, remember?), and yet I use their version of Ada's RE2 "death", go figure!

**To Recap This Chapter:** Someone visits Barry while he's making a sandwich, telling him that they need to talk. Meanwhile, in China, Carlos Oliveira is working as a mercenary underneath a little seductress. On the way to Europe, as Robin naps on the plane, Leon takes a minute to reflect on his personal life. After a brief mishap, Leon fills Robin in on the mission details, informing her that they were heading to the Spencer Estate.

**Song: **Irving Berlin's "All By Myself", in dedication to Leon's lonely life...? I'm not sure if he's lonesome per say, but I do wager that he's single.

**Disclaimer: **Capcom owns Resident Evil, not me. All respective properties, like, but not limited to, songs, belong to their respective brands. All I can lay claim to is the Varis family... and this work of fiction. Any game-related information used in this story comes from the Resident Evil Wikia, actual game play, and videos (official ones of the games) come from YouTube.


	4. A Matter Of Trust

It had to be done, even if it wasn't her place to do it. Jill loved Chris, in a strictly platonic manner, and she wanted what was best for him, which in this case was undeniably Robin. Of course, she wasn't the only one who felt that way - nearly everyone had seen their inevitable romance a mile away and they had completely supported them - yet there was one person who disagreed with the rest; Barry, Robin's father and Chris's best friend. Jill understood that he was upset and felt betrayed by two of the closest people in his life, but he should have realized that they would never intentionally hurt him.

So she had taken it upon herself to pay the Burton residence a little visit.

**At The Spencer Estate...**

Standing outside of the long-lived European manor, the crimson sun bleeding beyond the royal purple, mountainous horizon, a battle-ready Robin and a combat-adjusted Leon cocked their handguns before entering the building. Reaching out to open the burdensome gateway, Robin found that it was locked from the inside, and most likely boarded up to keep intruders like them out. But who in the world could have done that, and more importantly, why did they do it? Following Leon along the left-hand side of the building, they found a backdoor hidden behind a wall of ivy. The door was rusting itself shut from disuse, but Leon managed to get it open. If Robin had tried, nothing probably would have happened.

"Good job," Robin clapped his shoulder supportively, tailing him inside the pitch black room.

Glad that she had kept her lighter after giving up her precious cigarettes, Robin produced the freshly refilled lighter from her tight back pocket. Flicking it open, a small orange flame burst into existence, illuminating Leon's back. Holding it out, she took the lead, "Cover me."

"Yeah." He agreed almost at once, switching her places. If he could say anything good about being Ashley Graham's bodyguard, it was that he had become an expert at protecting people's backs. And unlike Ashley, Robin wasn't completely useless in a tense situation.

Holding the flame overhead, a faint bubble of yellow light revealing some kind of carpentry workshop with blood encrusted implements, Robin felt the fine hairs on the back of her neck begin to rise. Saws lined the walls on pegs and there were dark stains on the floor that they strongly suspected was blood, and perhaps worst of all, there was a musty odor that was seeping from the walls - a stench that told of torture, suffering, and bloodshed. Doing to her best to keep from doubling up and vomiting where she stood, Robin chanced a look behind her to see how Leon was holding up.

He was completely unaffected, the lucky bastard!

Unable to miss the fact that she wasn't faring so well, he walked up behind her, momentarily touching his hand to her elbow, "Robin, are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine!" She said one thing, but her body was saying another. Tauter than an elven bow, she appeared almost possessed, the way she was rolling her shoulders and trying to stay erect. Over all, it seemed as if gravity were pressing down upon her and she was fighting it with all of her might.

Firmly grabbing her shoulder, careful not to grab it too hard though, he refused to budge until she told him the truth, or a certain degree of it, "I never should have let you get this far in your condition."

Perceiving that he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, nor would he allow her to, she sighed in defeat, "It's this room... It reeks!"

Sniffing the air, he could detect an undertone of rot, but it was so faint, he could barely identify it. So why was she so adamant that it smelled bad? Better yet, why was it almost bringing her to her knees? Wait a minute... nausea, increased sensitivity to smell, and he was pretty sure that she seemed less alert than she was in Finland... why didn't he see it before? Why didn't she see it, when it was so obvious? Unless...

Cutting off that train of thought for the time being, there was a loud crashing sound that came from just outside the door. It was reminiscent of a suit of armor, but Leon had fought armor before, and that was no armor. Running through the remainder of the room and throwing the door open, Robin was immediately grabbed by a Guardian of Insanity. Wrapping hands bigger than trash bin lids around her neck, it lifted her into the air before she could blink. Struggling against the gruesome experiment, she kicked the air and dug her nails into its hand, trying to pry it off of her. Firing at the beast, acid blood rained out, but it remained unaffected. Reloading his gun, Robin's time rapidly running out, he ran around the monster, seeing a yellow eye in its muscly hump, not unlike the eye of g-virus infected monstrosities. Shooting the eye on its back, Leon caught Robin when the monster dropped her.

"Thanks." She massaged her throat where the monster had grabbed her, coughing and hacking as air returned to her lungs. That was the second time he had saved her in a moment of uselessness.

About to respond, the Guardian of Insanity swung it's massive anchor at the pair of them. Gathering that she was going to need a minute to recover, Leon realized that it would be up to him to bring the monster down. Acknowledging the same, she crossed her arms over her chest, giving him her permission. Knowing exactly what she meant for him to do, he kicked her out of the way, aiming at her arms. She slid across the floor, just far enough to roll out of the fray. He flattened himself against the ground just in the nick of time; the Guardian's weapon struck the air. Springing up like a ninja, firing his gun at the exact same time, Robin shot at the creature's back, perfectly hitting the eye with every round. Together, they brought the Guardian to his knees. Walking around it, Leon stabbed it in the back, finishing it off.

"We make a good team." He grabbed her forearm, pulling her up, noticing that her neck was already beginning to bruise where the Guardian had held her. He had the sinking feeling that she wasn't going to return from this encounter.

Neither did she. Robin had been afraid of what she could learn, and she wanted to tell Chris that before she left, but she knew that if she were to have said the words out loud, she would have lost her nerve.

She concurred, "Like Robin Hood and Little John."

"I was thinking more like Batman and Robin," He smirked.

She was about to retort, but a single canister of teargas was thrown into the corridor from the deep shadows. Trying to get out of the spreading cloud, they both collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Yet before they were fully out of commission, they saw a figure with red eyes coming towards them. No, it was someone in a gas mask...

"Target acquired," the figure spoke into its radio, "What do you want to do with the spare?"

Spare? Robin looked over at Leon, and he was looking over at her, each wondering which one was the target and which one was the spare. Waking over to Robin first, the person in the gas mask rolled her over with his foot, none too gently, so that he could get a better look at her. And then, for them, there was nothing but blackness as they slipped away ...

**Back At Barry's...**

Staring the bearded giant down, the former S.T.A.R.S. member took stock of Barry's location, his proximity to the knife drawer, and the time it would take for him to grab a knife, dividing that by the time it would take to dodge. It would be a close call, but the specially trained individual was confident in their abilities. Taking a daring step forward, the proponent of Robin's decision stopped short of arm's length. They were brave, but they weren't suicidal.

"I know that you're mad," waiting for an interruption that did not come, the beardless one continued, "and no one blames you for that - "

"Isn't that white of them!" Barry growled, sounding almost like a demon, "We were supposed to be friends, Chris, how could you do this to me? How could you steal my little girl from me?"

Not backing down, the younger man remained calm, speaking from the heart, "I love her."

Those three little words... Dammit. If he had just been trying to live out some twisted fantasy, he could easily hate him for this, but saying that... Barry knew the type of man that Chris was: honest, straight-forward, and genuine; he would never say something like that without meaning it. As for Robin, she wouldn't have entered a relationship with these kinds of circumstances lightly. As unhappy as he was with this romance, he couldn't stay mad at them forever - besides, Chris had a lot of balls for showing up like he did. But just because he saw this now, didn't mean that he was going to forgive them that easily. He couldn't if he wanted to.

Taking a deep breath, he looked at his old friend, "If you do anything to make her sad, you'll be sorry."

"About that... There's something that I wanted to ask you." He watched the older man, gauging his reaction.

Not surprised - Chris always had been a risk-taker - Barry chose to at least hear him out. What could he possibly have to ask for this early in the relationship?

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>Before any Ashley fans rip my head off (pft, that's a laugh! Ashley, having a fan?), I just want to say that despite any negative comments, I actually don't mind her, nor do I find her an utter waste of space. True, she could have been infinitely better, but the only bad thing I really have to say about her is that she was annoying, and that's more an issue with her voice than anything. And ba-ba-buum! (I suck at sound fx lol) Robin is subject (finally) to a batman joke! Oh, and she gets knocked out. And what in the halibut does Chris want to ask Barry? And now of all times! Can anyone say death wish? I'm really hyper right now, sorry...

**To Recap This Chapter:** Concerned for Chris, and Robin by extension, Jill decides to pay her old partner a visit. At the Spencer Estate, Leon grows suspicious of Robin, but his doubts are put on hold when they fight a Guardian of Insanity. But things get better! A mysterious individual in a gas mask comes for the duo, claiming that one is a target and the other is nothing more than a spare. Meanwhile, back in Barry's kitchen, Chris confronts him, telling him that he loves Robin.

**Song: **"A Matter Of Trust", by Billy Joel.

**Disclaimer: **Capcom owns Resident Evil, not me. All respective properties, like, but not limited to, songs, belong to their respective brands. All I can lay claim to is the Varis family... and this work of fiction. Any game-related information used in this story comes from the Resident Evil Wikia, actual game play, and videos (official ones of the games) come from YouTube.


	5. Body Language

Securing the unconscious agents was a job easily done alone. Deciding what to do with the extra body wasn't as easy, nor did the nameless grunt feel right making that call. What did a misally henchman know of his master's nefarious plot? Unfortunately, that choice fell on his shoulders since his boss was currently elsewhere, dealing with another matter entirely. On one hand, if he did good, a raise could be in the very immediate future, but on the other hand, if he didn't act in a satisfactory manner, he could be severely punished. Maybe even killed. Yikes.

Lugging the first body through the corridor, next to the dissolving Guardian of Insanity, past the secured main hall, and into one of the thousands of unused bedrooms, the gas masked underling wished that one of the sentries would have helped him drag the body up the stairs. Of course that would never happen, but the peon could dream. Grabbing a leaden wrist, the man pulled his charge up the first flight of stairs, hearing the head thumping against each step. Hey, they needed to be alive; the boss said nothing about them getting a little banged up! Besides, the woman was already in bad shape when he found her.

"Orders were to bring in the target alive. If you keep dragging the stiff like an over-sized blanky, you could give 'em a concussion and kill them, stupid jack-off." One of the sniper-toting sentries hissed in a none-too-friendly voice, eyes gleaming red behind the mask she wore.

Flipping his teammate off, the grunt continued up the stairs, but this time he was walking with the body hanging over his back as it originally should have been. Opening the last door one the right-hand side of the balcony, trudging through the additional hallway - who the hell made a hallway that only led the main room and bedroom anyway - he tossed the body unceremoniously onto the musty bed, sending a little cloud of dust rising from the blankets. Going back for the second, he threw the body next to the first so that they were laying in the bed together, faces inches apart. Resting after the grueling task, the man glared at the duo.

"You've been a hassle, you know that?" He panted, looking Robin over again, wondering how much time he had until the boss would be back to claim the target. She wasn't his type exactly, too big, but after being stuck on the job for over a month without getting any tail, anything female looked good to him.

It wasn't like she was going to object any time soon...

**One Continent To The Right, In A Rice Paddy...**

Waiting was something she had become all too familiar with over the course of her professional life, but at the same time, she had never once found it any easier to endure. The tension still clung around her like a starved boa constrictor, the terror set deep into the very core of her being, ticking away like a bomb set to blow at any moment, and the anticipation would tingle in her capable finger tips. Carlos, on the other hand, was still more accustomed to the constant roller coaster of action, the beat of his footsteps against the ground as he was sprinting for his life, the pounding of his racing pulse in his ears, and the throbbing adrenaline that allowed him to do anything running through his veins, lighting them aflame.

"Wait for it," The leader watched cautiously as a lone figure approached them. Any screw ups, and there would be a fight on their hands.

The figure was that of a native man, balding and emaciated. He appeared to be normal enough on the outside, but after dealing with Las Plagas, she knew better than to assume anything. Though he had never encountered the Plagas before, Carlos knew from personal experience not to judge based on appearances; That was something he had learned from a particular mini-skirted warrior woman in Raccoon City.

Jill. Now wasn't the time to think about her, and he didn't, but once the mission had been settled, his thoughts would linger back to the woman who saved his life. Laying in his cot, he would envision her with a gun in her hand, destroying the beasts that hounded them. Being chased in her tube top, her chest would heave as she caught her breath, her short skirt riding up she bent over to catch her breath. But that wouldn't be until later. Even later still, once the torrid fantasies had done their purpose, he would think of her not as a sex symbol nor as a fighter, but as a woman; a human being.

Watching the short, aged figure amble up to them, the man saw the woman standing opposite him - her gun pointed at his chest. Everyone knew that you had to shoot a zombie in the head to kill it, but the Plagas was not an ordinary zombie, if you could call it a zombie at all.

"Urgh!" The man screamed at her, black tentacles protruding from his mouth. Apparently it didn't like being threatened.

That was him alright, the Uroboros-carrier the team had been brought in to capture. Shooting the monster down from the front, her men opened fire from the sides. Completely unaware of the others, the mission was carried out to perfection. Ceasing fire before the deathblow could be dealt, the captain ordered two of her men to secure the sample. Collecting the body in an oversized body bag, the soldiers worked soundlessly. Carlos was more than a tad disappointed that there was no real need for action, though he was relieved that the mission had been bereft of a single casualty, and therefore was a complete success.

"Oliveira, Jensen! Help Townsend and McCormack with the corpse." She barked, already retreating from the field.

It had been a long day, but it was over at long last. Or was it? After all, they still had to hand in the monster and collect their reward. No, she wouldn't think of that now - she was too tired and needed to rest after the sleepless night that had plagued her. The nights seemed to get longer and longer as she lost more and more sleep, but so long as she could sit and rest her bones, she told herself that that would be enough.

**Lala Land...**

Gracing the hilltop with crowns of gold and scarlet, grand maples and mighty oaks stood high above a pavilion of silver and blue. Lacing through the poles that held the ornate tent up, ribbons of sage green held up roses of the deepest red. Chairs were lined up the gentle slope, empty of all but place cards, and a long aisle of white rose petals led from the foot to the crest. A glass podium had been placed in front of a glass stool, and an ancient, priceless bible lay flat against the smooth surface, open with a tassel marking the page.

It was the second most beautiful thing that she had ever seen - the first being Chris's soul.

"You're early." A disembodied voice whispered in Robin's ear, startling her even though the voice was friendly, seductive, and familiar. It sounded so close to her, yet it was echoy and kind of distorted. Oddly, it seemed so normal and every day that she took no notice to the quality. She had no need to worry, because the peace and serenity flowing into her told her so.

Turning, she saw Chris standing behind her, dressed in a fancy black tux with a forget-me-not in his lapel. He looked incredibly handsome. But she was confused by what he meant, "Early? Early for what?"

He nodded earnestly, the edges of him fuzzy like bad reception in the middle of a storm. Gazing into his eyes, greatly increased in size and warmth, she saw nothing but the man she had fallen in love with. He seemed to not to hear the second question, but possibly he was choosing to ignore it, "We're not supposed to be here yet. You of all people should know that!"

"No? Why not?" She looked at him defiantly, pulling up along the hillside to stand at the altar, "I believe in our love, don't you? If you don't, please tell me now so we can fix it before it's too late."

Chris shook his head, beaming at his gorgeous dream, "Lovely love."

Sighing, Robin fell into his arms, feeling his hands locking above her waist. She rested her head against his chest, breathing deeply. This was heaven, and she never wanted it to end. But everything must come to end someday...

**Back In The Bedroom...**

Twisting the glossy black mask off of his face, the nameless henchman strode over to the bed, looking at Robin lustfully with his own two eyes. Breathing shallowly in her forced sleep, her chest rose and fell with a steady yet noticeable pace. Sparing a sympathetic glance at the unfortunate interloper, the growing grunt reached his hand out to shove Leon off of the bed. He was out cold, but it felt odd having her boyfriend right there while he worked. Before he could so much as touch Leon, another masked man entered the room, shooting his comrade in the head. He toppled over to the floor, dead.

Stepping over his subordinate's body without the slightest hint of emotion, the second man looked at the pair laying in bed, his voice tinted with annoyance if anything, "You shouldn't have touched her."

The man groaned, not entirely dead yet, "Why...?"

"..." The second man ignored the first, shooting him again to make sure that he was gone, and a third time just for good measure, checking to make sure that Robin hadn't been touched, "Always causing trouble, just like your mother."

But, that wasn't the only way Robin was like Kelby... No, not by a long shot.

Ah, Kelby... Varis, was it? She used to be such a promising talent, but that all went out the window the minute she had laid eyes on that Jussi Varis. Such a waste... Scanning Robin, he saw that that unholy union hadn't been without some merit at least. Good heritage, strong stock and a brain matched only by its beauty... No, this girl wasn't Kelby, but she would be a suitable replacement for the wayward traitor.

Turning his attention to Leon, the second gas masked man remembered encountering him before, back in Raccoon City, "Leon S. Kennedy, it's been a while. Too bad you're going to miss the reunion."

Had Leon been conscious, he would have known who the man in the gas mask was, but as it was, he was not. He also would have inquired about this so-called reunion. And had Robin been awake, aside from taking care of the would-be rapist herself, she would have wondered how the second man knew of her mother. But as fate would have it, they were both dead to the world... A state that would hopefully only be temporary.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>First off, rape is bad, very, very bad. Naturally, everyone knows this, but as an author, I feel responsible to point that out. Secondly, I just wanted to say that I totally support Carlos and Jill as a couple, and though I hate giving things away, I should warn you JillxCarlos haters out there that there might be a bit or a romance between them, or at the very least, hints of one. I feel that that fact is not relevant to the plot, so enjoy that little look into the future! Oh, and thirdly, there is no real importance to Carlos being in China specifically, other than the fact that the games have virtually zero connection Asia. But his part may just have a purpose, but maybe it won't. You'll just have to stick around and find that out for yourselves.

**To Recap This Chapter:** Robin and Leon are still out of commission, and the "bad guys" take them into a room to keep them safe until the leader shows up. Unfortunately, one grunt gets some very bad ideas in his head. In China, Carlos and the rest of the team manage to take what they came for, and he gets some very naughty ideas in his head. Showing up in the nick of time, a second person in a gas mask shows up, saving Robin.

**Song: **"Body Language", by Queen. I hope I haven't used this song/title in a past story, but if I did, oh well.

**Disclaimer: **Capcom owns Resident Evil, not me. All respective properties, like, but not limited to, songs, belong to their respective brands. All I can lay claim to is the Varis family... and this work of fiction. Any game-related information used in this story comes from the Resident Evil Wikia, actual game play, and videos (official ones of the games) come from YouTube.


	6. Angel

The mission had been completed flawlessly, and yet, something nagged at the captain as the team was airlifted to the transfer zone. Carlos wasn't oblivious to the feeling in the back of his head either, but he at least knew what was bothering him. As a mercenary, it was his job to obtain a number of questionable goods without pause, but gathering a sample of a virus so that it could be harnessed for some unknown cause went against his conscience. Hell, if he had know what the target was when he took the job, he would have refused and walked away! The person who recruited him to the team was the captain herself, but he had to wonder if she knew more than she let on...

**One Week Ago...**

In a seedy pub in Ireland, Carlos Oliverira had been enjoying a bit of downtime between jobs. The last one had been a real nasty one that had left a scar from the base of his skull to the left shoulder blade - thankfully, he was right handed. True, the wound had left no permanent damage, but if he had been left-handed, or if the wound should have been sustained on the right, he probably would have been unable to work proficiently for the next few months.

Battle scars aside, Carlos was taking in the scenery; which of course meant that he was hitting incessantly on the bouncy waitress while checking out the brooding beauty sitting in the back of the bar. Rebuffing all of his advances, the waitress turned her attention to the other patrons and was doing her best to ignore the cocky foreigner. The other woman had caught Carlos' eye, however, and was nodding at the backroom.

Slipping away from her table, he followed her past the empty tables and into the unlocked room. It was dimmer than the pub, which was already pretty dark, and it gave off a feeling of dampness. Waiting for him in the middle of the room, the woman unzipped her leather riding jacket, letting it fall to the floor. Before he knew what had hit him, she had pulled a knife from a back holster and had flung it directly at his heart. Watch the blade hurling at him as if in slow motion, he rolled to the side, drawing a pistol from his leg. It was aimed at her head, and his finger was hovering over the trigger.

Smirking, she began to clap mockingly, "Bravo. You're reputation hardly does you justice."

Lowering his weapon, he stood up, "My reputation?"

She picked her coat up off of the floor, dusting it off, "Carlos Oliverira, one of the few survivors of Raccoon City, and if the rumors are true, a real good mercenary type. If you're interested, I have a job for you."

Speaking his language, he re-holstered his weapon, turned towards the door, pulled out the knife that was stuck through it, and tossed it back at her. She caught it effortlessly, sheathing it in a single fluid motion. Whoever this woman was, she was good.

"What is it?"

"My employer needs a certain individual brought in before that individual can harm anyone," She said matter-of-factly, "But it will be dangerous and the chances of death are incredibly high if this mission isn't carried out with the utmost discretion."

Discretion, huh? Whatever the job was, it wasn't legal, not that that's ever stopped him before...

**Back In The States, Presently...**

Barry Burton stood in the kitchen of his home, arms crossed firmly over his chest, waiting for Chris to speak. Chris had been bold enough to tell him flat out that he loved his daughter, but even richer, he had told Barry that he had something else on his mind. The sandwich loving father bear would have guessed that he had wanted his permission to allow Robin to stay with him, if she should chose to. He loved his daughter and wouldn't mind having her back at the house, but it was too soon to say that things would be copacetic, so if that was all that was on Chris's mind, Barry would easily give him his permission.

Whatever it was, it was obvious that Chris had not discussed the matter with Robin yet.

"I know that we've only been seeing each other for a month, but I wanted to ask you," Chris cleared his throat nervously, "I wanted your blessing before I asked her..."

No, that was no good. Starting again, this time with more confidence, Chris looked Barry straight in the eyes, "You know that I love your daughter, and you know that I would do anything for her."

Growling in the back of his throat, he unenthusiastically acknowledged that much, "You had better, if you like everything where it's at."

"I know that its still too early to make any rash decisions, but I am getting older, so I have to start thinking about the future. Barry, I'm not asking for your answer yet, but I am asking that you think about giving me your daughter's hand in marriage." Chris had been thinking about this nightly for the past two weeks, and he had made up his mind - He wanted to marry Robin in the distant future. The _very_ distant future.

For a split second, Barry wanted nothing more than to knock Chris out, but something stayed his hand. A memory of his daughter, in fact. Robin had been so young at that time, not even a teenager yet, and she was playing with the girls when Barry got a surprise visit from his close friend. She had been enamored by the stranger - perhaps she had fallen in love with him then - and she had stayed as close to him as she could ever since that day. But that wasn't what he was thinking of. Barry could remember overhearing the girl's talking, and Robin's voice stuck out sharper than ever before.

"Someday, I'm going to marry him." Robin proclaimed, so sure of her answer when she didn't even know the stranger's name.

Moira scoffed at her sister, and Polly had looked interested by what Robin had to say, "Who?"

She broke into a smile, one of the first she had worn since losing her family, "Daddy's friend."

The other two looked at each other, "Chris?"

"Chris." She hadn't heard his name before that apparently, "I've always liked that name."

Moira rolled her eyes at Robin, "Puh-lease! Chris is going to marry Jill! They are so totally in love!"

Not discouraged, she shook her head, "No, I'm going to marry him, no disrespect to this Jill person."

"Keep dreaming," Polly agreed with her sister, her birth sister, and the matter was dropped after that, even forgotten entirely.

That's right, Robin always had had a small crush on Chris - even Barry had to admit that much. But she was just a child when she had said that, and Chris was already an adult... He never would have thought that their relationship could have bloomed this way. He never should have let them become friends. A small voice in the back of Barry's head had to disagree with that. If Robin hadn't been in love with Chris, then she very well might have fallen for that drug dealer she used to date. Barry knew Chris; He was a good man and he would take care of Robin.

Swallowing his pride for his daughter's sake, Barry spoke, "You do seem to make my little girl happy. Chris, you won't have to wait for me to give you my answer, becuase I'll tell you right now that I already think of you as family."

"Barry. Thank you," Realizing what his old friend had to go through to reach that answer, though maybe not understanding it, Chris shook his hand.

"Barry, you big softy!" Jill stood in the doorway, Kathy lingering timidly next to her. Jill smiled at Chris, pleased that he was looking at the bigger picture, "I suppose congratulations are in order, aren't they?"

He shook his head, cheeks turning a soft pink underneath the scruff, "I haven't asked her yet."

Kathy darted over to them, kissing her husband, "Honey! Do you mean it? Are you really going to let our little girl come back home and marry Chris? Is he finally going to be a legal part of this family at last? Our baby birdy can come back home to us?"

It was good to see that things would return to normal for them. Nodding at her old partner, Jill pulled him aside, smirking, "I always knew that you get married before I did, I just never expected it to be Robin you'd spend the rest of your life with. We all should have seen it coming though - you two have always been so close."

"It took me by surprise too, but it was the most natural thing thing in the world." He thought back to their first kiss, thinking of all the pent-up emotion behind it. Then he remembered the company he was with, so he quickly dashed the thought from mind, thinking instead of this morning, when he woke up with Robin by his side. Annoying as her wake up was, he would gladly endure it every morning if it meant that she was the first and last thing he got to see.

Looking sideways at her lovestruck partner, Jill lowered her voice so that only he could hear, not that they were in any danger between Kathy's kisses and tears of joy, "You're not rushing into this because of anything, right? You two are being smart, aren't you?"

Catching her drift, he whispered back, "Later."

**Dreamland...**

Lake water shone like a pool of silver underneath the moon, ripples cascading over low sea mounds. No, it wasn't a lake that he was seeing at all. What Leon thought was water was really satin sheets, the ripples tiny creases and folds in the luxurious fabric, and the sea mounds were actually the curves of a woman's body. He was looking at a woman draped in naught but silk, her paleness gleaming in the light pouring in from the open windows. Lips pink as the flowers in spring, hair inkier than a raven soaring over the dark side of the moon, her skin was lighter than the pure snows of the highest mountain peaks.

Eyes closed in slumber and face indiscernible through the night, he wondered who the woman was and what she was doing in bed. Glancing around the rest of the room, sparse and tower-like, he saw what appeared to be a woman's dress on the floor, thrown haphazardly on top of the shirt he had worn in Spain. A knee-high boot was unzipped by the bed, the second on was completely missing. Ok, that at least answered why they were there.

About to get up to check the dress for an ID, the woman stirred feebly, voice clouded by sleepiness, "Leon?"

Nearly jumping from his skin, Leon looked at the woman in disbelief, "Ada?"

Rubbing her palm across his cheek, she leaned into the light, looking up at him with no face and blank eyes, "If that's really who you want me to be."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>La-Gasp! Chris wants to marry Robin! Aww!

**To Recap This Chapter:** Carlos and the team leader are beginning to have their doubts about the mission, but since they're basically done, what can they do about it now? Asking Barry what was on his mind, Chris request's Robin's hand in marriage. Barry gives him his blessings, but Jill wonders why Chris is asking that right now. And Leon dreams of a dark-haired "beauty", but is it Ada, or someone else entirely?

**Song: **"Angel", by Shaggy.

**Disclaimer: **Capcom owns Resident Evil, not me. All respective properties, like, but not limited to, songs, belong to their respective brands. All I can lay claim to is the Varis family... and this work of fiction. Any game-related information used in this story comes from the Resident Evil Wikia, actual game play, and videos (official ones of the games) come from YouTube.


	7. Closing Time

So that was it! Sitting at a window booth in a retro fifties diner, complete with poodle-skirted waitresses on roller skates, the afternoon sun glinted through the burgundy shades and danced on the skin, the leftover light pouring onto the checkered floor. Halfway done with her garden salad, Jill sized Chris up, wondering how he felt about what he had just told her. She knew her old friend well, so she knew that this revelation must have been weighing heavily on his mind.

Ever since she had arrived at Barry's to beseech their old teammate on Chris's behalf, beaten to the punch by Chris himself, she had been burning to know why her old partner had asked the overly protective father for his daughter's hand in marriage. Guilty as it made her feel inside, she suspected that the haste was for less than honorable reasons - not that there was anything wrong with a shotgun wedding. It was logical to question the possibility, but being in the line of work that they were in, it was illogical to ride the ecstasy pony without a saddle. The agent wasn't implying that either party had some sort of disease; it was just beneficial to practice safety in all faucets of life.

Munching deliberately on his steak, bacon, and jerky hamburger, Chris took his time swallowing a particularly large bite. Savoring the meaty heart killer, he thought of Robin and how much she would have enjoyed this burger. "I should really bring Robin here when she gets back."

"Chris," Jill always had been a straight shooter, and that wasn't about to change any time soon, "I don't need details about what you two do in your private life, but I have to know: Are you two using protection?"

As a matter of fact, they had been using contraceptives - that was what made the situation so incredible. Things could be so spontaneous, they barely had time to think about taking their clothes off, let alone putting anything on, yet somehow they had always managed to bag it. And the one time that they had failed to do so, she immediately took one of those "morning after" pills, and she even doubled up on her birth control. Having a sister, one would assume that he knew all about feminine maintenance, and they would not be wrong. Practically raising Claire through her teen years, he had to deal a number of things that most brothers did not, including keeping the menstrual cycle in check. The point is, he knew that that was not smart to do, and even though he advised against it, she did it anyway.

Embarrassing as it might have been, they spoke about these kinds of things.

Putting the brunette at ease, her hair dyed back to its natural color, he patted her hand from across the table, "We protect others from danger, so what kind of example would we be setting if we weren't protecting ourselves?"

Relaxing at his words, she smiled weakly at her comrade, "That's a relief!"

Not enjoying what he was about to do, he pulled the rug out from underneath her feet, "I never said that there wasn't a chance that she could be pregnant. I said that we were being safe, not that we were in the clear."

"Then you really do think that...? But how?" Jill's skin had yet to return to normal, and secretly, she doubted that it ever would. She also doubted that it could get any whiter, but she managed to surprise them both on that account.

Nodding grimly, Chris looked more serious than she had ever seen him look before, "I do."

Fair enough, he wasn't sure that that was the case, because you can bet that he would have stopped her from going if he was. It easily could have been a really bad flu that only made her throw up, but at certain times of the day? Robin had also seemed to be sapped of energy these days, but that easily could have been her illness. And though she didn't say it, he could tell by the look on her face that morning that she was more tender in certain areas than usual.

Mother Vader, Robin was pregnant with his child and he let her go gallivanting off to who knows where - not the best way to start things off. But what could he do about it now that she was already gone? Go chasing after her and drag her back home after he had insisted that she go in the first place? Oh, that wold be a blast, tracking her down and saying 'Sorry but I have to take you home now becuase you might be carrying our child'. And what if she wasn't even pregnant and he did that?

But what if she was going to have to their baby? Would she really want to give up her dream of joining the BSAA to become a stay-at-home mom? Would she try to make him be a stay-at-home dad? Would he even be willing to consider changing his job?

**Two Days Later...**

Everything was going according to plan. The target had been moved to "The Island", and the spare had been brought along as a means to prevent any unnecessary heroics, though the body was being kept elsewhere in storage. The latest experiment was beginning to show promise, the Uroroboros sample was currently on its way into his hand, and the mercenaries would be taken care of upon delivery, so any lose ends would be tied up. Had decades of experience not taught him better, he would have thought that nothing could happen to dent his good mood.

The man in the gas mask was strolling around a small office-like room lined with machinery, his helmet discarded on the desk his finished reports had been neatly piled on. Stepping into the room from the side door, a man with ear-length red hair looked at the other man coldly, "She's waking up."

Ah, things were good for the silver-haired man, and that was evident by his tone, "Excellent."

**Chris Redfield's Place...**

Laying awake in bed, sleep nothing more than a fleeting afterthought, he had plenty of time to think about the possibility of starting a family with Robin. Being family oriented, Chris did want a family, but at the same time, being as active as he was, he felt like he wouldn't be around enough. But when he was ready to have a family, he could imagine it with no one other than Robin. Robin. She was just as family oriented as he was, but being so young, he wondered how she felt about having her own family. She had never mentioned it before, but then again, she had kept twelve years worth of feelings from him.

Hell, he felt that he was already being a bit unfair to her, trying to monopolize her when she was at the age when all you wanted do was party. Child or no, he really did want to spend the rest of his life with her. She undoubtedly wanted the same, but was it also possible that she wanted space to live her life? It was more than likely that that was the case.

He would do anything for her, but he wouldn't do that. No way would he risk losing her after it took so long to find each other, metaphorically speaking.

**"The Island"...**

Everything was numb on her body, and her fingertips tingled as she drummed them against the steel table she was laying on. Blinking, the world slid together slowly, stitching itself together so that she could see properly. The room around her was padded and white, so her first thought was that she was in a mental institution. The table was fastened to the floor, but there was a cart just out of arms reach, its wheels in working order. Sitting up, Robin felt a tugging sensation on her arms, thigh, and head. Looking at her arms, she saw that IVs were linking her to a large box that was feeding different colored liquids into her system.

She screamed, reaching up to pull the thickest one out of her head, but a voice spoke from a previously unseen door, making her stop. It was the man who had spoken to her in Finland, "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Not if want to keep from harming your baby. Honestly, I'm surprised that its still alive after your recklessness. I suppose that the baby is a fighter, just like its parents."

Her mouth fell in amazement, and she dropped her hand from her head. Baby? No, he must have been mistaken! She couldn't be ... No, it was impossible... He must have been lying... A voice in the back of her mind snapped vehemently, _"Of course he's not lying! Look at yourself, hooked up to all of this medical equipment! Besides, you've know that for a long time now, so don't act so surprised." _The voice wasn't wrong, she had suspected as much, but she just kept telling herself that she was being stupid. She couldn't be pregnant.

Could she? She and Chris had been up on the contraceptives to prevent this sort of thing, so how in the world could it even be possible? Unless, and this was pure theory at best, it had happened their very first time, when they had stayed the night in Helsinki. Not dating anyone for the past few weeks (years), she had seen no need to use the medication, so her system was completely empty. As for Chris, he had been half delirious despite his words, not to mention the fact that being on a mission, he wasn't packing that kind of heat.

Things had been so chaotic at that time, latex was the last thing on either of their minds...

"What are you injecting me with?" She tried to keep voice level, but she was too shaken up by the realization to have a chance at succeeding. Unsure of what panicked her the most, being prisoner or finding out that she was pregnant, her voice cracked, "What do you want with me?"

Looking offended, the man walked over to Robin, turning some of the dials on the box, "I have too much use for you to risk any mishaps."

So, he wasn't going to hurt her, or the fetus growing inside her womb, that was a load off. But what did he mean when he said that he had 'too much use' for her? What was this psycho planing?

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>Do I really have to give you all the safe sex talk? Well, I'm not going to, sorry. Actually, I'm not that sorry. Speaking of sex, I'm sorry that this chapter was so full of it, in a manner of speaking. I just wanted to make their relationship seem as real as possible, and to me, this was the best way to achieve that end. Oh, and just in case you haven't seen the second movie (Apocalypse) on cable television, L.J. says "Mother Vader" instead of Mother Fucker. Pretty hilarious stuff if you ask me, not that anyone did.

**To Recap This Chapter:** Chris tells Jill that he believes Robin is pregnant, and he starts to think about how that makes him feel. The man who kidnapped Leon and Robin is basking in the success at hand when he is informed that Robin is waking up. Finding herself to be connected to a machine, the man tells her that she is going to be a mother.

**Song: **By Semisonic, "Closing Time". I love this song, and though the title might sound a bit weird, I feel that the song captures the chapter's essence quite nicely.

**Disclaimer: **Capcom owns Resident Evil, not me. All respective properties, like, but not limited to, songs, belong to their respective brands. All I can lay claim to is the Varis family... and this work of fiction. Any game-related information used in this story comes from the Resident Evil Wikia, actual game play, and videos (official ones of the games) come from YouTube.


	8. Government Hooker

Something wasn't right about this, he could feel it in the air that ruffled them as the copter flew off. Deep in his gut, he knew that the mission would try to bite him in the ass once he found out what it was - he just didn't expect it to happen so quickly. The leader must have felt it too, becuase even though she was too seasoned to jump at shadows, he noticed the look of unease on her face. Catching each other's eye, they acknowledged that the situation felt wrong, and that they were the only ones who felt the disturbance.

Huddled together to keep the sample from getting away, the mercenaries trekked across the sandy beach, the youngest of them gazing longing out at the Caribbean waters. Too preoccupied keeping an eye out for traps or an ambush, the captain didn't tell him to stayed focused on their objective.

For good reason. Not even forty feet from the shack that marked their final destination, a humongous creature came barreling out of the tropical forest on their right. The monster was humped over, relatively scrawny for a monster, had torn up black shorts that were once pants, and a head full of nice red hair. Anticipating such an attack, though not by a mutated being, Carlos and the captain rolled to the side, avoiding the monster's attack. The others didn't do as well. The youngest one had been split down the middle by the gigantic axe the creature wielded, and the other two had been cut horizontally by a single swing of the weapon. Looking at the remaining two mercenaries, the creature paused, glaring at the woman as if trying to remember her.

Somehow recognizing the beast at once, she had known the boy from long ago, back when she was another person, "Long time no see, Steve."

Face screwing up in a mixture of pain and concentration, Steve dropped the axe on the sand, transforming back into the red-haired man that Claire never thought he'd grow up to be. Claire. She had been the only thing keeping him alive after all of these years. Just the hope of seeing her face kept him going, and yet, in that same way, she had been used to torment him and keep him in line. The man he served, that blonde bastard, was well aware of Steve's weakness, and he frequently exploited it.

Carlos looked at the captain in amazement, not expecting a woman of her caliber to associate with monsters. In his defense, he had no idea that Steve was more or less in control of his transformations now, and that his leader had known him through circumstances she couldn't control.

"Who are you working for now?" She asked coolly, never the kindest person around.

Before Steve could reply, the shack opened its rickety doors, and an elevator stood waiting for them. Grabbing the body, Steve led the way to the shaft, and the mercenaries walked on after him, guns at the ready. Steve was being unnaturally quiet on the ride down, but they just assumed that that was because he was being controlled, which was exactly the case.

**Robin's Cell...**

Huddled on the floor in a corner, Robin was about to have a panic attack. She had been kidnapped by a psychopath, while in the early stages of pregnancy, and had found out that her head had been shaved bald where the needle was stuck in. Her hair wasn't too big a deal, but she found that focusing on something that trivial made her think less about her predicament.

Promising herself that when she gets out of this hellhole, one of the first things she planned on doing was getting her hair fixed. And then, she was going to... normally, she would have thought about jumping Chris, but that only made her think of the baby, and that in turn sent her reeling, so that was no good. So what was she going to do? Her father had banished her, so she couldn't go home. Actually, even if she could, learning that she was pregnant was only going to make matters worse between her and her father. No matter what she thought about, it all lead back to the embryo growing inside of her.

Backed into a corner, she had no other choice but to think about the baby. It was here now, whether she wanted it or not, so it was pointless to fuss over that question. As for work, this actually really was convenient, because as suitable as she was for battle, she really didn't like fighting, scraping to survive. She only joined the BSAA as a means to be close to Chris, but now, she wouldn't have to tell him that when she quit. True, she probably would tell him anyways, but now there was no obligation to.

But that wasn't the only thing on her mind - what really plagued her was the question of her parenting skills. Would she make a good mother? She had set aside her own selfishness before, for Chris's sake, but could she do it again, every day for the rest of her life? Would she be able to support the child mentally and emotionally?

Could she even make it out of here alive?

**The End Of The Line...**

Steve led them through dark corridors and twisting hallways, passed door after door. Carlos was concerned that he was just leading them to their death, but the boss lady seemed to have faith in him, so he followed the pair. Luckily, hindsight would not come back to bite them this time. Stopping outside of the end of the hallway, Steven opened the second-to-last door on the left, allowing them inside first.

Sitting at his desk, mask back on his silvery-blonde head, the man who captured Robin looked at the newcomers with mild interest, "So you made it."

Eyes narrowing, the leader recognized the man at once, "HUNK."

"You've done your research," He sounded only slightly impressed, "And Carlos Oliveira. Congratulations on making it so far. Then again, after Raccoon City, this must have been a breeze."

Unnerved that the man knew so much about him, Carlos shifted uncomfortably. The woman rolled her eyes, pointing at Steve to give HUNK the body, "What are going to do with the Uroboros?"

"Too bad the Organization lost its use for you - you always were quite the slippery one, weren't you?" He lazily flicked a switch on his desk which turned on the computer on his desk, "Look familiar?"

The room was identical to the one Robin was in, but unlike Robin, the occupant was shackled down and had no tubes coming from his body. Getting only a second to see his face, the woman cried out, "Leon!"

"I wonder if you really meant what you said to him in Raccoon City? Judging by your actions in Spain, it would seem as if you do care about him," HUNK seemed to know everything that they had ever done, "Miss Wong."

Ada scowled, "You bastard."

The man known as HUNK merely looked back at the monitor, watching as an Executioner stalked into the room, long axe dragging behind it. Thinking that it would be over too quickly, he released Leon's restraints, unsurprised to see that the blonde had been partially able to awaken. Rolling from the bed as the axe came down where his head had been moments before, Leon fell uncomfortably on the ground.

Ada was on pins and needles as she saw Leon slip past the leather-clad monster, "Leon..."

"So the spy does care." HUNK taunted the woman, thinking that he had more important things to attend to than tormenting a single woman, so he looked to a sickened Steve, "Take the sample to the lab. I have other matters to see to."

With that, HUNK turned and left the room, clearly unconcerned with Ada and Carlos. Too bad he thought them so meaningless and unimportant that he hadn't even thought to disarm them or to even take away their forms of communication with the outside world. Exploiting the villain's lack of precaution, Carlos reached into his pocket for his phone, only to realize that the signal was being blocked. Looking to his captain, he nodded, heading toward the door HUNK had just left moments before.

"I have to make a call. Don't you have somewhere you have to be?" He allowed Steve to leave the room first, taking the time to look one last time at the monitor.

Without further ado, Ada sprinted from the room on a desperate search for Leon.

Carlos began his own journey to find a means of contacting help.

**Back In Robin's "Room"...**

Still hyperventilating in the corner, Robin jerked her head up at the sound of approaching footsteps. She was hopeful that it was the Calvary, but it was only her captor. Trying to contain herself, she glared at the man as she collected what wits were still available to her.

"Did you know that this Island used to belong to Kelby? Such a charming woman, I remember watching her climb her way up the company ladder to befriend some of Umbrella's top brass... Spencer gave it to her as an early wedding present." HUNK kept in mind that he was talking about Robin's mother, so he kept it polite, even though there was an obvious loathing for Kelby in his tone.

"Why would that old geezer give my mother a wedding present? What does she have to do with Umbrella?" Robin had known very little of her parents pasts, but what she did know had left no room for this man's stories. Or did it? She had to wonder about the lack of information she and her siblings had had about their parents personal lives prior to them falling in love. But working for Umbrella?

Sensing her doubt, the man removed from a pouch in his tactical vest a rolled up photograph, which he in turn passed to her. She unfurled the picture, seeing first a man with silvery-blonde hair, then she saw her mother flashing not only a grin, but a luxuriant diamond ring on her ring finger. The ring was not the same one that Jussi had given her. To add insult to injury, the lab coat she was wearing was indeed that of an Umbrella employee.

"Who are you?" Robin asked, defeat in her voice as she could find no lie in the photo.

Expecting such an inquiry, the man removed his helmet, slowly revealing himself to be the same man in the picture, "Many know me by the code name HUNK, or even Mr. Death, but you may call me Alex Wesker."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>Damn... Steve, Ada, HUNK... All that's missing is Tofu! As for HUNK's true identity, I feel that there is a monumental chance that HUNK and Alex Wesker very well could be one and the same! So, in this at least, they are. Hem, moving on... I gather that it's been quite some time since I posted the last chapter. Shame on me! Well, what can I say? I was busy working on other fics, and then I went through a long period of disinterest, but, at long last, I have come back to finish this chapter and present it to you, my readers! In all fairness, I probably could have posted this chapter sooner, considering that it was about ninety percent finished when I started working on it again. Besides flogging me (please don't), there's not a whole lot that we can do about it now. Hopefully, I'll be able to bring you the next chapter in less time than it took for this one.

**To Recap This Chapter:** Feeling like they were walking into a trap, the mercs walked into a trap, a majority of the team dying to an axe-wielding monster. Revealing their identities and names to Carlos, Ada and Steve share a none-too-warm reunion. Taking them to the masked man, he shows Ada a blast from her past. Robin freaks out about her situation, only to be presented with some new information.

**Song: **More for Title's sake than the lyrics themselves, I present to you Lady Gaga's "Government Hooker"

**Disclaimer: **Capcom owns Resident Evil, not me. All respective properties, like, but not limited to, songs, belong to their respective brands. All I can lay claim to is the Varis family... and this work of fiction. Any game-related information used in this story comes from the Resident Evil Wikia, actual game play, and videos (official ones of the games) come from YouTube.


	9. I'll Be Alright Without You

Straightening up without retreating from her corner, Robin gaped at the man in front of her. Were he to believed, his story accounted for her mother's mysteriously secret past, which he claimed was due to her deep involvement in Umbrella, and to top that off, he proclaimed himself quite boldly to be one of the infamous Wesker Children. No, he had declared himself to be none other than Spencer's alleged right-hand man before the theft of the secret of immortality, Alex Wesker. Were he to be believed, he was not only unkillible, but he was the only person who could possibly be worse than Albert Wesker. He seemed to sense the fear in her the way an animal could sense the fear of its prey, so he smirked at her the same way that Albert would have.

"What do you want with me?" Robin was again near tears, but she was determined to show as little weakness to this monster than she already had. If not for herself or for the baby, then simply for the sake of Chris and the idealogoy of being his woman.

Alex continued his narrative as if he had not stopped, "Kelby was a favorite of Spencer's, but I was still favored above all else. It was only natural that our work would yield to less than scientific ends, sooner or later. She was mine in all but name, but even that was on track to be changed..." He paused to grab her face, roughly jerking it every which way to examine her better, "You look like the perfect splice of the traitor and thief, but I wonder about the others... No matter," He forced a small smile, "I have my prize at last."

Robin was confused to hear her father referred to as a thief. As far as she had knew, Jussi had been an honest man. Snatching her head back from his inhuman grip, Robin, unable to help herself, blurted out what very well could have been the million dollar question, "What do you know about my parents?"

**In a Conveniently Located Radio Tower...**

Twisting the dial until it reached the proper setting, Carlos stood in the underground radio tower, trying desperately to contact the one person he knew could save him - Jill Valentine. They might not have called each other on a daily basis, but they did speak enough for him to now how to reach her. Or maybe it was just easy for him to remember a pretty woman's number. Whatever the case was, he knew that once Jill got the message, if she got it at all, she would rush to the rescue like the heroine that she was.

"Jill, come in! Jill, it's Carlos. In the Caribbean... Need backup. Jill!" He had mentioned the prisoners as well, but that was all that had come through the airwaves.

**In the Dank Hallways of Hell...**

Ada had her gun at the ready, but she saw nothing unusual as she made her way down the corridor. Not even any sort of security, which told her that HUNK was extremely confident in his own abilities. Wishing that she had some kind of map or at least a clue as for how to reach Leon, she stumbled across Steve's path yet again. Damn, the hallway she had taken must have looped around itself. Steve, still weighed down by the body that Ada and Carlos had brought, paused when he saw the woman. Making a lightening-quick choice, he fixed her with a steady gaze.

"Take the next left, and the second door you come to." He dared offer her no more help than that, which even that may have been too much, should his master be watching. Alex had ways of keep tabs on Steve even when he was too busy to do it himself.

Eying him with distrust, which was not surprising in the slightest considering their pasts, though in all fairness to the both of them, it wasn't exactly like they had much of a choice, well, Steve didn't. Using her head, she refused to budge without one last answer from the monster-man, "Why are you helping me?"

"Because of Claire." With that he laughed bitterly, turned around, and left the agent standing in the middle of the hallway. He knew that it was what Claire would have done were she in his position, and...

Believing Steve merely for the earnest look in his eyes as he spoke of Claire Redfield, Ada followed his instructions with all possible haste. Opening the door he had specified, she found Leon squirming away from the axe-man like a worm on a hook, but he was still alive, thankfully. Shooting the creature in the side of the head, it turned sluggishly and focused instead on Ada, aiming its weapon solely at her pretty little head. Or her back. Or any part of her that it could possibly hope to reach.

Watching Ada fight off the monster on her own, shooting it over her shoulder as they chased each other around the table in the middle of the room, Leon willed himself to move something more than his eyes, "Ada!"

Looking at Leon with a kind of final resolve, she shot the creature with the last round in her gun. It fell at her feet, so she hastened around it to where Leon was curled up on the ground. Once she was close to him, they gazed into each other's eyes, summing the other up, as well as their situations outside of this. Locked in a momentary gaze that felt like it was lasting too long, Ada and Leon realized that they felt nothing for the other, outside of a tangled past, mutual respect, and the distinguished desire to once have their way with the other. If their paths had ever been on the same track before, it was clear now that they were heading in almost the completely opposite direction presently.

Assisting him to his feet, she half-carried, half-dragged him from the room with a last apprehensive look at the monster, "Am I the only one you do this to, or do you always have the damsel come to your rescue at some point?"

He chuckled, the feeling slowly returning to him as they moved, "Only after I saved her twice was many times."

At the end of the hallway, faced with either a left or a right turn, a low, guttural sound emitted from behind them, as did the the swooshing sound of a gigantic axe hurtling through the air. Indeed, an axe that easily could have decapitated them both in one blow was zipping towards them, tossed from the hands of the not quite dead executioner. Thinking on her feet as she had been trained to do, she ducked, only just able to pull Leon down before so much as a hair was split, the weapon embedding itself in the wall. Yanking Leon's knife from its holster, she threw it with deadly accuracy, watching in grim satisfaction as the monster feel down for good this time, the blade sticking out from the middle of its forehead.

**Meanwhile...**

Up late and unable to sleep, Chris's old partner had been thinking about what her friend had told her in the diner. She knew how it was possible, but at the same time, she was stuck on how it possibility could have happened. She was all too familiar with the way passions could flare after a life-and-death situation, but to actually imagine that this could happen... It was hard to for her to see her friends as parents. They were both family-oriented, and were great with heir younger siblings, but it was weird to picture either of them as the parental type. Chris was so preoccupied with his work, she sometimes had to question his ability to even be in a serious relationship, and Robin was so young, it was odd to hear that she was in a committed relationship. And add a child to that... Maybe she was being harsh, but she couldn't help but feel the cold stab of jealousy, or perhaps it was merely shock, but Jill was simply at loss and was so far unable to be truly happy for them, if Robin was in fact even expecting.

Deciding to make a better use of her time than to sit up fussing over matters that barely involved her, she sat at her kitchen table, trying to fix her radio to increase its signal strength as luck would have it. It was then that she received the urgent message from Carlos. Not even hesitating for a second, maybe more of habit than strategy, Jill reached for her cellphone and dialed Chris's number. The phone rang only twice before his groggy voice answered.

"Chris, I need help," She quickly recounted the urgent message to her partner, leaving out not a single detail. He knew all about Carlos, having actually met him once or twice while he was in town visiting Jill, not that he cared one way or another about Jill's old flames, "So how about it?"

His response wasn't immediate, but she was sure that it had more to do with Robin than registering her request, "When do we leave?"

Though he couldn't see it through the phone, obviously, she was grinning in excitement, the adrenaline already beginning to work its way into her system as she began throwing her supplies into their proper places, "As soon as you can get here."

Preparing for the mission, Jill completely shoved all thoughts of Robin and any feelings about the possibility of expanding the family from her mind...

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>Hilarious fact that I just noticed - The end of the last chapter spelled out the initials of another one of my Capcom favorites! Aside from the "F" in the recap, the first letters of each end note spelled "DMC"! Yeah, I'm a dork, I know. Actually, I think that there are better terms for what I am, but... what I am is highly irrelevant to this story! And for those of you who actually watch the movies, you may recognize the executioner/axe-man battle. I love the movies, so naturally they find a way to work themselves in. Oh, and I heard a rumor that RE6 (the game) will take place in China. If it does, that is pretty awesome, because if you recall from previous chapters, Ada and Carlos were in the very same country. All I'm saying is that it would be pretty cool if they played it that way.

**To Recap This Chapter:** Alex continues to reveal his recollection of the past to Robin while Carlos finds a means of contacting the outside world. Ada finds Leon in the nick of time, and she saves his life by killing the thing that had been out to kill him. Up late, Jill reflects on things as she receives an urgent cry for help, and not all of her feelings are good...

**Song: **"I'll Be Alright Without You", by Journey. Half of it fits perfectly, and yet... Well, its in, so, I suppose that it's too late now. Or maybe I'm just too lazy to do a better job... One or the other, not that it matters much.

**Disclaimer: **Capcom owns Resident Evil, not me. All respective properties, like, but not limited to, songs, belong to their respective brands. All I can lay claim to is the Varis family... and this work of fiction. Any game-related information used in this story comes from the Resident Evil Wikia, actual game play, and videos (official ones of the games) come from YouTube.


	10. Snuff

Leon S. Kennedy sat in the back of the plane, watching his eyelids as he made his way home from a days work. Next to him was a young woman with long black hair and amber-grey eyes, her square head leaned against his shoulder as she unwound from the stress of the job, seeking a small comfort in the familiar. She was wearing his sexy brown lambskin jacket over the shreds that had been a faded grey AC/DC t-shirt, though it was unclear as to the exact reasons why she was wearing it; it wasn't freezing, but it wasn't hot either, and her shirt was a wreck, but it wasn't like she was exposed for the world to see. But maybe it wasn't for any reason at all; maybe it was as a badge of honor - proof that she was his woman, just as he was her man.

Suddenly, just as the overly-crowded plane hit turbulence - jolting Leon awake - she grabbed his hand and gave it a tight squeeze. It wasn't because she was afraid - after their ordeal that would have been highly ironic - he knew that she did it just to touch him, to feel his skin on hers, the warmth radiating from his living flesh. A truly touching gesture. She glanced at him nervously after realizing that he had woken up, and that he had caught her in the act. He flashed her a reassuring smile, wrapping his fingers around her hand in return. He was rewarded with the rare sight of her blushing in genuine embarrassment - the kind that she only displayed in an intimate setting with someone that she truly cared about.

"Leon, you were supposed to be asleep." She chided mockingly, grinning in spite of herself. Her fair cheeks were glowing a soft rose color, proving that she was additionally embarrassed at being so forward.

He looked at her seriously, thinking to himself that it wasn't too fast for such a simple gesture, not with the way he felt about her. Still, he understood her fear and was unsurprised after the seriousness of her last relationship, but he wouldn't dwell on that just now, not when she was looking so lovely and the atmosphere was so relaxed, "As if I could sleep when real life is better than the dream."

"What were you dreaming of?" She looked at him quizzically, curious to know what goes on inside of that pretty blonde head of his. They had worked together on more than one occasion now, and though she knew enough about him to develop a serious attachment, there was still a lot about him that she didn't know. She had to admit to herself that that was a small fraction of what made this so exciting.

He frowned, feeling guilty and shameful considering that she had only just ended a relationship - a serious relationship - not even three days ago, not to mention the circumstances surrounding it and all of the people that would be affected by it, "You."

"Me?" She scoffed incredulously, "And what's so bad about that?"

He brushed a stray piece of hair from her face, just the same way as he did on the plane ride over, fingers lingering by her ear, gently taking her cheek in his hand so he could steer her into a deep and passionate kiss that seemed to last forever, and yet not long enough, leaving them both panting for air when they finally did part, "I have faced death on a daily basis over the last five years, yet I've never really been afraid... Until I met you. I'm afraid for the first time in my life, because I've never cared about anyone the way I care about you. I've saved countless lives over the years, and I've lost more than I care to count, but I never once invested such a personal stake in them... Not even in _that_ woman. You're different from anyone I've ever met... I feel as if I want to put my all into protecting you, but at the same time, I know that you could fend for yourself in even the worst situations. You're so strong," He took her hands in his, kissing her battered flesh, "And beautiful, and full of life. I can't even begin to describe how you make me feel, but I do know one thing for sure: I'm afraid I've fallen in love with you, Robin Burton."

"Leon!" Robin cried out his name in shock, her voice distorting and fading in an oddly familiar way, twisting from surprise to panic, "Leon, wake up!"

Blinking in a bright white light, Leon opened his eyes to find himself leaning against a rough stone wall in the back of an extraordinarily well lit storage closet, Ada Wong bent worriedly over his side. So, it had been a dream? It seemed so vivid, so real... the touch of her hand, the feel of her lips on his... The guilt. But it had to be a dream, because he knew how much she cared about Chris - even in their short time time together, it was transparent that she loved him, and even if she ever should love another, it would impossible for her to part so easily from Chris. Especially if...

"What the hell's going on here?" Leon shook his mind from his dream, as if it were that simple, and he forced himself to think only of the situation and how to get out of it, though admittedly that would be quite the challenge given the circumstances.

**Lost In The Void Of Depression And Confusion...**

The room was spinning, and she somehow doubted that it was due to her condition, betting on the fact that at least some of the things being pumped into her system were nutrients for the baby and food for the both of them. How could her own mother have worked for the likes of Umbrella? She had never known much of her parent's lives outside of the family, but she had always thought that that was because she was only a child at the time, but now, she knew that had her parents lived, they would have never told their children, and if they had been confronted about it, they probably would have tried to deny it. Not only was this a monumental betrayal more than a lifetime in the making, but this was pure selfishness in its cruelest form. Kelby had the makings of a monster, even at young age that much was apparent, so that made Robin wonder - just how much did Jussi know this? Was it possible that he had fallen in love with that kind of a person, or was it that he had also been duped? And if Kelby had been such a horrible person, was it possible that her daughter had inherited that trait too? It was more than possible... She hadn't exactly gotten Chris on one hundred percent fair grounds, and just look at what she had done to her father, to her family... Was she doomed to become the second coming of her mother?

Alex watched her in sadistic satisfaction, drinking in her misery as if it were the finest, rarest wine of all to the most refined alcoholic. Kelby had ruined his life, and per their arrangement, it was only fair for him to do the same to her daughter, "That woman was the worst kind of person imaginable, but you know that all too well, don't you? She broke my heart," Robin doubted that he had a heart, but she didn't interrupt him to correct that oversight, "And now look at what she's done to you! She hid so much from her family... Even knowing that you would find out someday... Unless she counted on you dying."

"No!" She clamped her eyes shut, as if blocking out the sight of the man would erase what he had just said, but a gnawing in her stomach told her that he wasn't lying.

He shrugged, indifferent to what she thought or believed, "You asked me what I knew about your parents... Kelby was a manipulative fool who got frightened at the prestige I could have brought us, so she clamped onto the first 'descent' guy that she could sink her teeth into."

"My father." Her voice cracked, small and fragile as tears threatened to come back.

He nodded, "Jussi Varis was one of the first few athletes who looked into the possibilities of what Umbrella could do for their career, and as chance would have it, he met your mother. I assume that it was not long after that they began an affair. I, at the time, was preoccupied with my work, creating the perfect environment for them to play house in. When I was able to pull away from work, I found that she had not only left me, but that she was pregnant. A boy. I let her go, peacefully, but only on the condition that she would give me her children when they reached a certain age. Panicked, and mistaking her hormones for love, she agreed so long as Jussi never learned the truth."

Robin felt the knot loosen, but she could still feeling it as if it were coated in broken glass and acid, the shattered remnants of her memories and the destruction of lies that burned past everything, including love, "So my father didn't know..."

"No, he died ignorant of his wife's lies. They all did. Not that it matters to me." He looked at Robin again, cold eyes raking her, making her feel as if she were naked, "You're mother actually did try to breech our agreement once. When she was pregnant with her second child, she came to me, begging me to alter the deal. I refused. She had nothing that I couldn't already get for myself. I told her that, and she was silent for a minute, thinking of a way to change my mind." Alex turned from Robin, his back to her so that she could only see the set of his shoulders, his wrist locked behind his back in an iron grip, "She said one word, one simple word, but it was enough for me to see where she was going. She must have known that I wouldn't trust another after what she had done, but she had a simple solution to that. And you've already helped me more than you realize, or should I say that Chris has. Do you know what that word was?"

He turned his face back so that he could get a clear of Robin as her face contorted into a mask of horror and disgust, "Daughter."

**In Another Corner Of The World...**

Armed to the teeth, almost literally, Chris and Jill boarded the privet jet owned by the BSAA and piloted by none other than Josh Stone of the BSAA's African Division. Bright-eyed and ready for action, the pair took a last look at their inventory as Josh flew them to the coordinates of Carlos' transmission, Claire filling him in on the situation to the best of her abilities. Somehow, probably due to the fact that Claire was feeling apprehensive about Leon's mission, Chris' younger sister had arrived at his door just as he was leaving, and by a stroke of luck, had managed to talk him into bringing her along. She suspected that it was because he was too busy thinking about Robin and her safety, but maybe he finally realized that she was capable of handling danger on her own, and that it was better to just take her along from the get-go.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>Aww, that's so awesome... I put in more Claire! And damns, is Kelby truly evil or what? I think that she is, but that's just my opinion, so you shouldn't let that cloud your judgement of her. You should just hate her because she's a conniving bitch who would give away her children like free candy. But she did try to save her sons lives, at the expense of a daughter that she wasn't even planning on having, but at least she tried. Why am I standing up for a character I hate? I dunno. But I do know that you should review! Please?

**To Recap This Chapter:** Leon is having more dreams of Robin, and this time he was half-convinced that they were true, but he shoves away all thoughts of his partner as survival becomes more pressing than potential feelings he might have. Alex continues to tell Robin about her past, revealing something that just might break her. Meanwhile, Chris, Jill, Josh, and Claire are on their way to save the day.

**Song: **Only certain verses fit, but the ones that do do so perfectly! My favorite Slipknot song, "Snuff".

**Disclaimer: **Capcom owns Resident Evil, not me. All respective properties, like, but not limited to, songs, belong to their respective brands. All I can lay claim to is the Varis family... and this work of fiction. Any game-related information used in this story comes from the Resident Evil Wikia, actual game play, and videos (official ones of the games) come from YouTube.


	11. We're In This Together

It couldn't be true... It had to be impossible... In what sick universe could a mother possibly give away her unborn child to a known psychopath? Shell-shocked, utterly betrayed, and yet somehow completely unsurprised by this news, Robin gazed intently at the wall behind the man who had sent her world spinning out of control in the first place. Alex Wesker had told her what he had known of her parents at her behest, and he had backed it up with photographic proof, not to mention that it was also him who had brought to her full, undeniable attention that she was pregnant with Chris' baby, which he had also backed up with scientific means, though in all truthfulness, she already should have known, and she hated to admit to herself that she had suspected it all along. Honestly, what kind of flu only acted up at certain times and lasted for over a week without any other symptoms? But realizing that she had known made her feel worse about the knowledge that she had just received, making her think that she would be a terrible mother, just as her own was to her... She had put not only herself in danger for this foolish quest for answers, but she had also risked the life growing inside of her, the life that she had made with Chris... Oh, God, Chris! What would he say about all of this? It would have been bad enough if she had just gotten pregnant, but getting pregnant, going on a potentially life-threatening mission, and being the daughter of one of Umbrella's scientists, the daughter of a monster? That was just too much for anyone to handle, even if he could get over the last part...

Watching as her world tilted and lost all semblance of balance, Alex stood back, enjoying the show. A pang in the back of his mind told him that he would have preferred this kind of suffering on Kelby, but he ignored it, more than satisfied to receive vindication from the next best source. She was his now, his new play-thing to torment and experiment on. Besides now wasn't the time to dwell - he had more information that he was holding back, information that could make this game even more interesting.

"Why did you wait so long to claim me?" Doing her best to hold herself together, Robin's soft voice snapped him back to the present, "If I was given to you, why didn't you just take me and raise me to become whatever you wanted of me? It would have been easy enough, especially once my parents had died. Just forge a document or two to take me away - it would have been more than easy enough for you, I'm sure." She thought of her time in the final days of Raccoon City, of meeting her family, and of everything that had ever happened to her between then and now, which made her recall that she hadn't been alone when she had been brought here, "Leon! Where is he, what have you done to him?"

Inspecting his nails in boredom, he shrugged, "I assume that he's either hiding somewhere, waiting for the drugs to wear off, or the Executioner has done its job... But why should you care about him when I have you, and your bundle of joy? Surely any good mother would be more concerned with the safety of herself and the child."

Aware that he was trying to bait her for kicks, her sensitivity and doubt about herself as a mother dominated her rational side, so she screamed out at him, "Bastard, I will be nothing like my mother!"

He cocked his head to the side in amusement, "No? I think that you're already more like her than you think..." He trailed off, going to one of the 3D digital monitors on the wall. He typed something in, and a live video feed from the security cameras clicked on, random images passing by in a blur until a certain blonde head came into view. Robin flinched when she saw what bad shape Leon was in, knowing that it had been her fault, and noticing her gesture of concern and guilt, Alex laughed to himself, "Not only have you led an innocent bystander to his death, but you have also led him on. You knowingly endangered your child with the man that you supposedly love so much, and to top it all off, you have lied to your family. Poor Barry, blind sighted by the two people he never thought would betray him... Maybe you're right, maybe you're not like Kelby- "

"NO!" Robin screamed, knowing exactly what he was about to say before he even formed the words on his mouth. He could have done anything he wanted to her, so long as he didn't say those two little words. _Anything_ would have been better than to hear them...

"You're worse."

Hanging her head in shame, lank strands of midnight hanging in her face, obscuring her one-of-a-kind amber-flecked eyes, she dropped the hem of her bedsheet/band-aid dress so that the gauzy material crunched up loudly with her dejected movements. Her body had been shapely, but even after two days, she could feel it thinning out underneath her scant coverings, and that worried her. If she had ever needed meat on her bones, it would be now, but this wasn't the time to think about that, not when she had to consider H.U.N.K.'s words...

It was true that she had knowingly lied to her father about her relationship with Chris, and it was also a fact that she had forced him to secrecy as well, therefore involving him in the lie, and it wasn't incorrect to say that she had wittingly gone on a life-threatening quest while she was carrying an unborn life. But the part about Leon she had to question in a more logical side of her brain. It was true that she didn't have to go with him, but he had just as much to gain as she did, and it was his idea to go in the first place, so while she wasn't endangering him, she surely wasn't saving him. But what of the other accusation? Was it possible that she had been leading him on without meaning to? She could see how her actions could leave that impression, but he must have known how dedicated she was to Chris! Then again, that didn't always stop the heart from forming other attachments...

Could it be conceivable that a small part of her heart had formed a connection to Leon? They had known each other for all of a week, and yet she was concerned about his safety in a way that exceeded that of normal strangers. But Chris and Jill had that same kind of bond! Then again, they also had been... No, she mentally shook herself of such thoughts, knowing that she and Chris were meant to be. She might care about Leon, but she could never love him, not the way she loved Chris. If anything were to ever happen to him, God forbid, she knew that even after a hundred years, she would be unable to move on, becuase they were soul mates. Any contrary claim was absurd and would be immediately discarded.

"No. No..." She realized that he was right on all counts, the guilt, shame, and terror causing her mind to splinter and her restraint to break completely so that the tears flowed freely yet again, her head jerking back and forth wildly, "No... I never meant to hurt my father! I love him. So much... I could never... I... I _did_ destroy his trust. And I did know, somewhere deep down, that I was pregnant with Chris' baby when I took this mission... But I had to learn the truth! And poor Leon never should have gotten involved in all of this mess in the first place!"

"But you let him get involved. In fact, you chose to come with him, instead of taking this journey of self-discovery with Chris. You easily could have had Leon give you his information so that you and Chris could have gone together, but you didn't, did you? You went on that date with Leon, and what's more, you didn't really tell Chris about it, did you? You might love Chris Redfield, but a part of you likes Leon Kennedy too, doesn't it? Come on, Robin, you know that you can tell me anything."

Somehow, that thought hadn't occurred to her, but everything had happened so quickly, she barely even had a second to inhale, let alone make any important decisions. Recalling the look on Chris' face as she left with Claire, Robin wondered if he hadn't thought of taking her instead, if she had hurt him by taking this trip with a complete stranger for all intents and purposes. It was more than possible, but even if he had thought that, he had to know that she didn't see it, becuase if she had, it would have been him sitting in that plane with her, not Leon.

Even backed into a corner and hopelessly adrift in a vortex of despair, lost in her own personal woes, Robin knew where her heart stood, and the people in it. Viewing her unwavering devotion as an annoyance, he felt confident that his plan would remain unhindered. For now, he was having fun playing with her in her fragile mental state...

"Don't tell me that you don't know what I'm talking about. Not even five seconds ago you were more worried about him than you were for yourself." He had her dead-to-rights, and they both knew it, but she also knew that he was just trying to confuse her, to completely shove her over the knife's edge that she was walking. They also shared a mutual knowledge that she couldn't hide from the truth, but only he knew why.

"I figured that you wouldn't harm me, if you went through all this trouble just to get me. But maybe I overestimated my importance, and I'm just as expendable as the rest. But either way, I had hoped that Leon might make it out of here... After all, between the two of us, he's the only one who can make a difference in this world." Looking at the cross look on his face, she cleared her throat nervously and went on, "Leon is a good friend... But that's all that I'll ever feel for him. My heart hasn't been mine since that day so long ago, that first day that I met Chris. I know that its cliche, but I would do anything for him, go through anything, becuase I love him, and I know that he loves me."

If Alex had heard that speech once, he'd heard it a thousand times, and it impressed him no more now than it did the first time he had heard it. In fact, it felt as if he heard that exact same speech every single day, the only difference was that instead of talking about Chris Redfield, he was hearing about Claire Redfield... Why the Redfield siblings were so adored, he failed to see.

**Stashing The Stiff...**

Hulling the corpse had been an easy enough job, but Steve found it tiresomely tedious, therefore, it took probably about twice as long as it needed to take. But what did it matter how long it took? He had nothing to live for as long he remained here, and almost instantly he was needed for yet another mind-numbing laborious task. But the monotony of his daily life didn't mean that there wasn't the occasional surprise - like seeing Ada Wong after all these years. It wasn't exactly pleasant, but at least seeing a familiar face reminded him that Claire Redfield had been real. Sometimes he secretly found himself wondering if the thing he had been fighting for wasn't just some kind of fabrication that Alex had used to keep him in line.

Speaking of Alex Wesker, Steve saw his second pair of eyes following him around the corner, no doubt to make sure that he was doing his job. Not pausing as he dragged the body along, black-ish blood leaving marks that he would be forced to scrub later, he greeted the shadow-stalker with ice-cold loathing and abundant white-hot hatred, "Taking inventory?"

An hourglass of a woman emerged from the shadows, a white smock-like dressing gown used in medical facilities crinkling soundlessly as she moved. Her hair was like ink, spilling around her shoulders in stark contrast to her ivory frock, her signature fringe chopped away to reveal a strong jaw and amber-grey eyes. She wore a sarcastic smirk on her face, "Saying goodbye, actually. It would seem as if my talents would be better used working on the field, as opposed to babysitting the likes of monsters like you."

"Shouldn't I have been the one baby-sitting you? You were still playing with dolls when I was fighting for survival," He didn't bother hiding his dislike for the woman anymore than she had masked hers, "I'd tell you that I'd miss you, but that would be a lie, and you don't deserve that kind of respect."

Unruffled by his sarcasm, she shrugged nonchalantly, inspecting her nails as if they were more interesting than he was, "Say what you will, but you'll always be nothing more than an annoyance. Don't die of uselessness while I'm gone, alright Steve?"

Turning another corner, he opened a locked door with a lion's crest on the handle, sliding in before she could follow. He went to slam the door in her face, but she had been well trained and was too fast for him to effectively close the door on, her bare toe catching the door so that she could swing it open. The room was dank, moist and rotting at the core, completely stacked like a cupboard full of winter supplies, but instead of cans of peaches, there were only molding bodies, all waiting to be dealt with. To Steve, the woman was the living personification of this room, expect instead of the reek of decay, she stank like a two-cent hooker after being locked in a car in the middle of the woods, surrounded by a cloud of stale marijuana and burnt gym socks.

"I'd ask you the same," He shouldered the body through a narrow hallways so that pieces of it didn't snag on the tacky surface of the walls, "but I think that we both know you'd die of a more unsavory cause, because that's just the kind of slime that you are. Street-walking garbage begets disease-ridden trash, doesn't it?"

Her eyes narrowed, nostrils flaring dangerously, "Slime am I? Is that the excuse you tell yourself at night as you try to muscle up a little monster?"

Unabashed by her insults and implications, he pushed open the double doors that led to the mortuary-turned lab, "Is that what you think about at night? I'm surprised at you Raven! I would have guessed that between blowing the hand that feeds, you'd be pinning away after a relationship that you wished you had with Alex."

"Not that it's any of your business, worm, but Alex keeps me more than satisfied," A grin spread across her face, reminding Steve forcibly of the Cheshire cat from the Disney cartoon, "We've spent more time shaking the sheets and breaking beds than you've spent mourning over that Redfield bitch."

If she had said anything about him, he could have tolerated it, but speaking ill of Claire was the one thing that could still push him over the edge. Realizing her mistake too late, the woman named Raven was barely able to step aside as a monsterfied Steve lunged at her. Tsking at him, she pulled out a control from the chest area of her dress, clicking a small black button. Writhing in pain and falling to his knees, Steve succumbed to the electric shocks surging from the collar around his neck. She might have won this round, but that cow wasn't going to win the war!

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>Repetitive, I know, but I really had to nail it in that Robin feels immensely guilty for everything that she had done that led to this point. Ok, so maybe I did say what kind of body Robin has in the past, or maybe I didn't, but if I did and I somehow contradict that, please, either tell me about it so that I can fix it, or just don't heed it, and pick whichever you prefer, m'kay? Oh, and the same goes for her attire! And drugs are bad, m'kay?

**To Recap This Chapter:** Alex and Robin have a not-so-friendly chat about her predicament, and she is forced to examine where she stands with both her partner and her boyfriend. Meanwhile, Steve has a less than cordial encounter of his own.

**Song: **After three hours of searching (see, I do care), I finally found I song that I thought fits fairly well. I proudly present Nine Inch Nails' "We're In This Together".

**Disclaimer: **Capcom owns Resident Evil, not me. All respective properties, like, but not limited to, songs, belong to their respective brands. All I can lay claim to is the Varis family... and this work of fiction. Any game-related information used in this story comes from the Resident Evil Wikia, actual game play, and videos (official ones of the games) come from YouTube.


	12. Without You

H.U.N.K. had, after leaving Robin to mull over his story, put his signature helmet back on, favoring a sense of mystery and abusing the fear of the unknown. While going to the control room to accommodate his other guests, the only person he put a semblance of trust in entered the room behind him, her lithe frame barely obscured behind the medical wrappings he had employed at this facility. Raven slid carefully behind him, wrapping her arm around his neck and shoulders as he operated the controls, gray eyes flickering with sadistic excitement as she watched him unleash gifts for the unworthy extras to play with.

Speaking as he flicked switches and pressed buttons, he kept a close eye on the monitors at all times, "Already dressed to play the part you were born for, I'm not surprised. Did you say good-bye to Steve? I know that you two have quite the special bond after all... It almost makes me jealous. Almost. Raven, you know that if I could care about anything, it would be you."

"Aww, you don't have be jealous of Steve!" She tossed her sable hair over her shoulder, relishing the idea of two guys fighting for her, "Nor of that brute! Now that Leon character," Raven paused at that, waiting to see a reaction, but when not even a muscle twitched, she continued, disappointed, "Well, he might provide a bit of fun. But it's you I wonder about, with this plan. I mean, can you honestly say that you're fine with me having to sleep with that bore? I know that, were it me in your shoes, I would be livid at the thought of you having to bed that moron. But..." She trailed off, lips contorting into a smirk, "I'm not you. Seriously though, it's a shame that she couldn't have been in love with that blonde, because if any of those buffoons could make me moist, it would have been him." She added almost as an afterthought, "Too bad for him that you make it feel like the deep fathoms below."

Stoic as ever, H.U.N.K. unleashed the creatures on his unsuspecting guests, too preoccupied with his selections to pay attention to Raven as she finished the last touches of the plan. She was used to the cold shoulder by now, finding it natural if not jarring, so she continued on as if their conversation had never happened. She had been with Alex for as long as she could remember, in some capacity or other, so she hadn't known what it was like to be happy in the average sense of the word, nor was it ordinary for her to wonder if there was something better out there. In truth, that was probably what she had hated most about Steve - he had been free to live life, to have a family that loved him unconditionally, and to find someone special to him that he would put up with anything for. Even after all of these years, Steve had Claire, and she had nothing, and no one...

**After Getting (Most of) The Entire Story...**

Calmed slightly by the realization that there was at least one thing in her life that she didn't have to question, Robin thought fondly of her family, from the young nurse who had saved her from a gruesome fate in Raccoon City to the enthusiastic father that had taken her in when she had no place else to turn, to the blood brothers that she had lost to the sisters that she had gained, the convict that she viewed as an uncle, the wife that had taken her in as her own and that had been more of a mother than any other woman in her life, the friends that she had acquired that were actually normal civilians without traumatic life experiences, the allies that had exceeded the bond of cousins, the woman that had kept them all alive on a daily basis ever since the Arklay Mountain Incident, the optimistic woman that was a third sister and close friend, and certainly not least, the man that she loved more than anything else in this world. They had all been there for her, because they not only loved her, but they believed in her, and with that many people depending on her to make it out, Robin very well couldn't let them all down. Especially since she had one more person for them all to meet and to expand the family, not that they needed the increase in numbers by any means.

Raking her brain for a plan, even one as simple as just accepting her fate (that wasn't even an option for her, baby or not), Robin was none the wiser of what it was exactly what Alex wanted of her, but even in the midst of that obstacle, she couldn't back down and just twiddle her thumbs while she waited to be either killed or rescued. But she was at a loss, because what was there for her to do at this stage anyways? She was connected to at least fifty machines, and who knew, some of them might have actually been beneficial for the baby, which she was loath to admit was in a hugely dangerous state, between her own stress and the things that possibly awaited them. She had to make it out of here, but even just past a glimmer in mommy and daddy's eyes, Robin could risk the baby anymore than she already was, not in good conscious at least. No, she was going to be a mother now, whether she wanted to be or not, so that meant that she had to put the child before herself, even if... Even if that meant complying with the bastard.

Thinking like the good parent she was determined to be, she struggled mentally to formulate some kind of a coping strategy to deal with her time in captivity, the cogs in the back of her mind always working on a master plan of escape. Her psyche was very close to losing all traces of sanity, but some strain of logical thought was trying to put everything in order and to get passed this for the sake of everyone involved. Near breaking point, the worn fibers of brain material began to wither underneath the storm of uncertainty, everything starting to become more clear, as if illuminated by a ghostly inner light, and yet things were fuzzy, as if the answers she was seeking were still worlds away.

"People cannot gain anything without sacrificing something. You must present something of equal value in order to gain something." She recalled something that her older brother, Onni, had told her. It had been something small and fleeting, but it had truly resonated with her, so even after all of these years, it had stayed in her subconscious. No matter what dark secrets she learned of her family, she would always love her brothers unconditionally.

And even in this situation it was true; she had learned a terrible truth, and yet she had received great news with it, but the stress that she had suddenly been put under could very well squish that good news before she even had a chance to share it. The truth was more than ten years old, and quite frankly not that shocking, and some innate sense told her that she should care more about the baby than what had happened in her old, nearly nonexistent life. A baby was something to protect, to care about, and to love! This... this toxic tale had nothing to do with who she was, or her life now. She had a baby to think about, so now wasn't the time to lose it...

Holding her stomach, tears of resolution rolling down her cheeks onto the white material so that it left little droplets, Robin smiled despite her circumstances, "Thank you, Onni."

**Storming the Fort...**

Chris jumped from the plane even before it had fully landed, rolling to soften the impact of landing as his shoulder made contact with the sandy beach that stretched for miles around them on either side, his gun always at the ready. Behind him Claire and Jill shook their heads in disapproval at his reckless act, though they fully understood what had prompted his sense of impatience - Robin had always been like a sister to Claire, and an extension of Chris to Jill. Forget about the fact that she was practically Chris' wife already, she was possibly carrying his child - their nephew - and that filled them both with a sense of duty.

On the flight over, Robin's speculated condition had been reveled to both Claire and Josh, neither of whom seemed surprised that she and Chris had copulated, though they honestly hadn't been expecting it this soon. Claire especially was shocked at the timing, considering how hard Chris had ridden her about safety, but also being involved in close-quarter combat with death, she understood how appealing certain people could seem during a moment of apparent calm. No, she shook her head, willing herself not to reflect on Fredrick Downing - not only was that a spot of shame for her, but it inevitably made her think of Steve...

Hm, Steve Burnside... She couldn't lie to herself, she missed him something terrible, and there had been nights when she had woken up with dreams of him, both good and bad...

But now wasn't the time for that! She had to save Leon, and Jill was no doubt worried about her _friend_ Carlos...

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>Ok, so maybe Raven is a bit vulgar, but come on, I need to diversify my characters! Besides, for those of you who had played Revelations, or watched it online like I did, than you know all about Jessica and her self-proclaimed "sweet ass". And also, I added a bit of another Milla Jovovich movie, "The Perfect Getaway", which I also love! Yays Milla! And I was so happy to see her at the Academy Awards/Oscars (why does it have two names?)! Maybe she was just presenting, but it was so freaking sweet to see her! Speaking of good to see, thank god Zach is growing his beard back - if only Bradley would follow in his footsteps and return to what we all know and love! All I'm saying is that they had better fix their faces for the Hangover part 3! Sorry to rant about such unrelated things! But what is related is Robin's personality in this game. I'll be the first to admit that she's not quite the same Robin I started with, and even if she is, I'm not liking how one minute she's all "Oh, I'm cool, calm, collected, and totally in control" and the next she's all "Oh my GOD! I'm totally freaking out" which is fine and all, but shouldn't she be one or the other at one time, not both? Well, from this point on, I swear that I'll try to keep her acting like she should in a given situation. But in all fairness, she is under an immensely stressful situation that I can only speculate about, not to mention that Resident Evil its self can be fairly conflicting, and that's even speaking in terms of canon. Oh, and on a last note, this one pertaining to canon, Fredric Downing is a character from the cgi movie Degeneration (which took me several years and three times watching it to like).

**To Recap This Chapter:** Things move onward for both the heroes and their adversaries... H.U.N.K. treats his company to some long over-due action, sort of, his little Excella, Raven, reflects a bit on her life as she struggles to ignite feeling in her master, Robin finds not only Mama Bear but the will to do whatever it takes, Chris rolls into action, and Claire recalls some of her past flames, not aware of the reunion she is about to have with a very dear friend...

**Song: **"Without You" by The Feeling.

**Disclaimer: **Capcom owns Resident Evil, not me. All respective properties, like, but not limited to, songs, belong to their respective brands. All I can lay claim to is the Varis family... and this work of fiction. Any game-related information used in this story comes from the Resident Evil Wikia, actual game play, and videos (official ones of the games) come from YouTube.


	13. Who Let The Dogs Out

Staring at each other face-to-face after what felt like eons apart, nothing between them but space and the swirling debris of battle, all Chris could do was stare at the woman standing disbelievingly before him, untouched by all but the settling dust that coated her from head to toe. Gunfire played a fast-paced melody all around them, flashes and percussion grenades mingling and merging into one static blur to create an unrivaled symphony of sound and light. But none of that was running through his mind as he ran to greet her - the only thought in his head was taking her in his arms once more.

Under the cover of a heap of dead bodies, the rejects of some experiment or another, Claire tossed an incendiary grenade that she had found along the way over her head, aiming it at the retreating figure cowering behind a stone pillar, randomly unleashing a hailstorm of bombs at will, "Head's up!"

Bam! A little green bomb went off right next to them, sending her skittering back a bit, heels stumbling over the back of a rock, landing ungracefully on the ground on her side, chard at the edges but otherwise fine from the blow. Senses catching up with him all at once, the din of battle waking up around them, Chris ran to her side, already kneeling by her in the time it took to exhale or blink. Smiling at him, she intertwined their hands, lacing her fingers in his, the grasp firm and never ending.

"Oh, Chris!" She cried out once she was certain that what she was seeing was really him, tears of joy rolling down her dirty cheeks, streaking them clean, "I was so afraid that I'd never see you again! It was horrible, so horrible... I really thought that this could have been the end of me... of us."

Something in her words didn't quite sit right with him, a decade of knowing Robin telling him that she wouldn't have been worried about herself above anything, because she was the sort of person that would have focused more on the others around her, and of her family, but his doubt was put on the back-burner as Jill, bleeding badly from gory, gaping gorges her side and carried in Carlos' capable arms like a bride on her wedding day, came into Chris' line of sight, the battle faded into eery stillness as the enemy got away. If Chris hadn't seen her in sorry shape before, and had it been ten years ago, he might have blanched from his partner's sorry condition - blood smeared the side of her head, the right sleeve of her shirt was almost ripped completely off, blood was oozing from a gunshot wound in her abdominal region, and there was a nasty gash on the side of her left leg.

"Chris, you have to..." She grunted in pain, as if every word were a knife twisting in her shining wounds, "stop him before its too late. Please, don't let..." Jill covered her mouth with her hand and coughed, the bare skin coming away red, "him escape. We can't..." She groaned, trying to fight through the pain, her breathing gradually becoming labored, "have another Wesker."

He nodded in agreement, deeply concerned for Jill but more than aware that there wasn't time to help her, and with a quick glance back at his beloved as she hobbled over to Carlos and Jill, he hurried off with a quick request of Carlos, "Take care of them."

**Not Even Half An Hour Ago...**

As creatures both familiar and foreign to the heroes were unleashed and set upon them by the cruel puppet-master they knew as H.U.N.K., Ada and Leon were forced to vacate their shelter as a misty, acid-green gas began to creep in through the ventilation shaft, no doubt some kind of poison or virus meant to lure them out of hiding and into the fray. Not even five seconds after the intentional, controlled leak, the intercom came on, alerting them all in a cool, semi-robotic female voice that there was indeed an escaped virus in the immediate premises.

"Warning: Code Red. Repeat, Cod Red. Virus sample located in southern closet two. All staff are urged to leave the facility immediately. Emergency locks activating in twenty seconds. All staff are urged to have an ID card on them at all times. Repeat, Cod Red. Biohazard leak, southern lab two contaminated." The voice faded away, after repeating its message once more.

Looking at Leon stoically, both of them thinking something along the lines of betrayal at certain spy's hands, Ada grabbed him by the wrist, yanking him up with a surprising amount of strength for someone of her compact size, dragging him from the room before the gas could kill them, or worse, the security measures most likely installed to prevent the contamination from spreading. She might have left him to die before, but that was only because she was sure that he would have found an alternate escape route, and this time she wasn't so sure.

"Leon, I'm not going to let you die down here." She stopped suddenly when it became clear that he could walk on his own, dropping his wrist almost automatically, "Now its my turn to pay you back for helping me in Raccoon City."

He had no objections, but it was clear that he would be watching her for signs of a double cross, "If you can keep up."

**Back On The Beach...**

Claire pointed at the suspicious shack in the distance, positive that it was the only thing that could have been an entrance to a secret laboratory base, assuming that this villain like all the rest had a lab, "Hey, I think I found something! Chris, Jill, look at this!"

Running up behind the female Redfield, Jill covering the back as per usual, Chris joined his little sister, standing just a few feet from the base. Hiding in plain sight, just like something hiding in plain sight, of course, it was so simple! Or was it too simple? Nah, he decided that this was what they were looking for, because most civilians would have no need for a ramshackle little shack just waiting to be destroyed by the slightest touch, and most would neither have suspected the beach-side storehouse, or they simply wouldn't have gone with their gut instinct because they had second guessed themselves.

Walking ballsily straight up to the front door and opening it with ease, Chris stepped inside the barren square, and turning to look at the girls, he saw an elevator-esque up and down button on the side of the wall. Giving them the all-clear, they entered the elevator and Jill pushed the down button, illuminated red at the skin contact, "Going down.".

After what seemed to be less than a second, the door binged to a stop, opening up to a hallway metallic as any that had been seen before in their past, though Claire felt for a minute as if she were back in Raccoon City, delving into their secrets labs only for a means of escape. Except that she was with Chris this time, and instead of looking for her brother, she was looking for her sister-in-law. Granted, they weren't married yet, but Claire could tell that it was only a matter of time before they were, and besides if Robin really was pregnant with her brother's child, than that alone was good enough for the redhead.

As they left the elevator behind, Chris leading the way, Claire flanking his left, and Jill bringing up the rear, they were almost instantly greeted by a zombified security dog, gnawing on the remains of another security dog, curled up on its side as its fleshy snout dug into its meal. Shooting the dog in the head with his Beretta 92F, it crumpled before it even knew what had hit it. About to hurry on, Chris and the others froze in their tracks as a low, guttural growl came from a source not only behind them, but on either side of the cross-shaped hallway, the sound chilling the blood in their veins. Lunging at the nearest person, two of the seven dogs descended on Jill, her and and her partners firing away...

**In The Lab-Room Where Robin Was Being Kept...**

Hearing the sounds of nearby gunfire, Robin's heart rose in her chest as she thought of Chris, but it fell back into the pit of her stomach almost twice as fast as the feeling had come. It couldn't have been Chris, not this soon after things had fallen apart... Besides, even if it somehow was him, something told her that Alex had placed several measures to make sure that she couldn't saved, not even by the likes of Chris. Chris, who had done so much in only a few short hours, Chris who had devoted his life to purging scum like Umbrella from the face of the earth, Chris, who had killed Albert Wesker... No, if anything, it was most likely Leon, trying to find her sorry butt so that they could get out of there together. That was no good though, because she meant it when she said that Leon had more hope for the world than she did...

Sitting upright, Robin slid her bare feet over the edge of the bed, the ground cool like the frosty bite of winter, applying pressure to make sure that she could stand before she just jumped up to topple over, effectively winding up having to stay on the floor for who knows how long waiting to be set right. It felt like pins and needles as she curled her toes and arched the balls of her feet, but it was clear that she would be able to walk without too much of a problem, so gathering her courage for what she was about to do, Robin stood up, praying that she wouldn't land on her face. Luckily for her, she was on two feet, albeit her two legs were shakier than a little leaf being eaten by a newborn giraffe in a hurricane, so she cautiously proceeded to poke around her room for means to stop Leon from trying to save her...

**Just Outside Yonder Maiden's Keep...**

Kissing the beasts with lips of silver and metal, three bullets blasted from the barrel of Jill's Beretta, ending their targets lives with a deafening bang. There was one for each of the two canines that charged her, an extra for the leader of the assault. But her second shot wasn't true; the hound fell but was back almost instantly, yipping at her, teeth aching for the chance to sink into living flesh. Shooting at it again, the animal crumpled just as it reached her, a pitiful hump of muscle, bone, and hunger...

Meanwhile, as Jill dealt with the two that had jumped her, and an additional dog that had tried to take a bite from the other woman's ankle when she wasn't looking, Claire fired away at the largest, most vicious dog in the pack. Chris was busy dealing with the remainder of the animals, his back almost completely to his team, and Jill was somewhere between braining her last dog and reloading, so it was up to Claire to deal with it on her own. But she wasn't worried, she had handled much worse before...

Growling at the redhead, the mangled creature barreled forward, fangs poised to rip her throat out, the beast threw its full weight at her. Stronger than she had expected the over-sized mutt to be, it knocked her to the ground, sending her gun sliding from her grasp just a few feet too far for her to reach, jaws inches from her jugular, razor-sharp claws digging deep into her shoulder. But she had been well-trained; Claire rammed her knee into the dog's side, giving her enough room to kick it completely off. Freed, she slipped back just as far she need to in order to reach her gun, and grabbing it in a single, epic swoop, she fired a single round into her enemy, blowing its brains out all over her front.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>Hopefully this note won't be as long as the last one, but I make no promises! _In_ the computer... Heh, Zoolander. So basically the setting is that of RE2. TEH ZOMBIES RTEURN! And yes, that was intentionally misspelled. But as I wrote this chapter, I came to a realization that makes me a little less angry at Capcom for what they have done to my Resi. In RE5, and even in 4, it had been a few years since Raccoon City and all of the earlier games, so maybe the writers thought that the characters would have gotten over their fear of just the average zombie, minus maybe Rebecca, so that that's why we never see her again. But they still could have kept it a horror game... Jerks. But I still love you, Capcom! Oh, and by lab-room, I mean the lab that is serving as her room.

**To Recap This Chapter:** Chris is reunited with Robin at long last, but what should have been a sweet moment is interrupted by evil. Leon and Ada team up again after so many years, Claire finds a secret laboratory, Carlos gets to be the knight in shining armor to his downed damsel, and Jill presses a button! The group encounters lots of action and even few zombies along the way...

**Song: **"Who Let The Dogs Out" by the Baha Men. Ok, so maybe it really only fits as a title and not so much for the story, but hey, I'm the author, so I can name this whatever I want to. Plus being a step into the action, I wasn't really sure how to appropriately title this chapter, so here it is.

**Disclaimer: **Capcom owns Resident Evil, not me. All respective properties, like, but not limited to, songs, belong to their respective brands. All I can lay claim to is the Varis family... and this work of fiction. Any game-related information used in this story comes from the Resident Evil Wikia, actual game play, and videos (official ones of the games) come from YouTube.


	14. Reunited

Scoping the hallway ahead for any B.O.W.s, armed with the only weapon in her arsenal, Ada signaled for Leon to take the lead. It was neutrally decided that being not only younger and more fit than the former spy, he was better equipped for dodging sudden danger than she was, besides, cover-fire was not only more practical in this scenario, but it gave her a chance to prove her true colors. She sincerely felt bad about all that she had put him through in the past, but between a man that she barely knew and her own life, she would chose herself first on any given day, and she wasn't sorry for that.

"This really takes you back, huh?" He mused sagely, dashing across a four-way hallway to stand before a pair of heavy double doors that looked as if they were originally made for a bigger hallway, the edges melted away to fit in the frame, watching her cautiously as she stood opposite him at the doors, gun always at the ready.

She smirked ruefully, "To Raccoon City? Yeah. Except for the giant alligator and the G-Virus, that was a cake walk compared to this. It doesn't help that we've gotten older since then..." Ada trailed off, reminiscent smile fading as the doors hissed open of their own accord.

Still looking at the part of himself that he was only recently able to let go of, he failed to see what was on the other side of the open door, or even that the door had opened for them, the hissing silent, "Ada? Ada, what is it?"

Slowly lifting her arm as if it were dead, she pointed at the prone figure laying on the floor, manacled to the wall in heavy ropes of silver. Thick waves of brown swept from the creature's head, fusing at its ends into the skin, a red,claw-like appendage sprouting from a gaping hole in its chest, slimy things that resembled barnacles forming a natural shield over its skin. Changed as it was by the T-Abyss Virus, which neither of them had personally encountered but had heard tell of through their own adventures, both Leon and Ada knew full well who that monster had been in life.

"Luis! LUIS!" Leon shouted his name the same away as when the Spaniard had died in his arms so long ago in Spain. Luis moved in his sleep but was otherwise still.

He had died so many years ago now, how had he been salvaged? Had it not been so obvious, Leon would have wondered who had saved him, but it was perfectly clear that H.U.N.K. or one of his people had down it. Thinking back to to his escape via jet-ski, Leon felt his stomach drop as he recalled that only the island had been blown up, leaving the Plaugas in the castle and village alive and well, free for the use of the first scumbag who come along to claim it for his own. But why Luis? Couldn't the poor man just be left alone to rest in peace?

Ada had also known Luis, as they had briefly worked together, but not knowing him that well, she had no words of comfort for Leon, but that didn't mean that she didn't have anything to say, "Leon, he's dead."

She was right, Luis was nothing but a mere shadow of his former self now. He was something no longer human, something that must be killed, something that would kill them first if it had the chance...

**Going Deeper Down the Rabbit Hole...**

Carlos had done his best to lie low as he waited for the Calvary to arrive, trying to formulate a plan of escape as opposed to twiddling his thumbs, and so far he had done a pretty good job of it, gunning down any amblers that he had come across in his search for a map. Aside from ammo, and the occasional health item, a map was a must have, because with one, he could not only mark off all the exits, but he could locate his partner and get them both out of this mess. Too bad he really only knew about Ada and her friend Leon...

But that would all be too easy without any opposition. Turning a corner someplace near to where they had been brought in from, hours and hours of aimless searching generalizing him to certain areas, his location ironically not far from were Jill currently stood, the sounds of her gunfire muffled by at least two rooms, he found himself face-to-face with none other than the creature-man who had taken him and Ada to meet with the man in the mask. H.U.N.K.? Bah, Carlos mentally scoffed at that notion (what kind of sexy individual would hide his face?), curious about what that stood for, because he sincerely doubted that the bastard was much of a looker.

"You!" Carlos gaped at Steve, in his slender-toned human form, furious at him for landing them in this predicament, even though he was more than aware of the fact that Steve was no more to blame for this than himself. Actually, he was loath to admit it, Steve was even less to blame than himself, the poor bastard. It just helped to have someone to point the finger at.

Startled by the mercenary, expecting to see the other intruders, whom he had been ordered to eliminate, Steve shook his head, shaggy red hair swinging in his eyes, his eyes that glowed so powerfully with agonizing sorrow and untold pain. The years had left him mostly unchanged, but they had not been kind to him either, filling his life with woe and his heart with doubt. He had always secretly expected death to come at a moments notice, but it never had yet. It wasn't like he wanted to die, though it would certainly make things easier for him, Steve knew deep down that someday he would see Claire again, and even a second more of her company would be worth it.

Gun pointed at Steve's heart, the barrel pressing into his tattered excuse of a chest, just a second of looking at the pitiful creature had caused Carlos not only to feel guilty for accusing him, but to feel remorse for his tortured fate, so he lowered the weapon again, making the snap decision to work with the monster-man in the hopes of getting out of this mess alive, "Steve, right?"

Nodding slowly, he answered, "Yeah."

**Two Rooms Down...**

Standing back up, dusting her steel-gray jeans off, Claire looked at her brother as he decided on whether or not they would go left or right. Jill was trying to convince him that they should split up, and Claire agreed fully with her, so making up his mind, he went left, leaving the girls alone to go right. He was more than sure of their abilities, Jill proving herself on more than one occasion and Claire more than earning her stripes in the field. Going their separate ways, the silent promise to meet back here at the end of it all, Jill and Claire followed the pathway Chris had set them on until it diverged again, at least, that was their plan...

Halfway down the dank hallway, the girls bumped into an unexpected roadblock - Carlos, and his new friend, Steve. But Steve was semi-obscured by the unlit corridor and the dark, handsome merc standing in front of him, so at first glance Claire didn't see him, but he saw her...

"Jill!" Carlos bolted to his old friend, quickly embracing her in back-breaker of a bear-hug, grinning at Jill as he set her back down, nodding politely at the other woman, "You sure got here soon, didn't you?"

She laughed, winded at his greeting but glad to see that he was unharmed, "I guess it's true - the ladies do love your accent."

He smirked, "Mocking me already, huh? Wasn't it bad enough that I had to call you to come play hero again? It might not seem like it, but it's highly degrading to my pride as a man to have to be rescued by a lady, even one as pretty as you are."

Her reply was cut off, however, by the surprised scream that escaped from Claire as she noticed the man standing behind Carlos, yes the same Claire Redfield that pulled a broken shard of glass from her leg without so much as a whimper, hobbling her way to safety, "Steve?"

She had gone bone white from the shock of seeing him alive again, a swell of emotion raging inside her chest at the sight of her old... Of Steve. Even after professing his love to her, she hadn't been sure what to call him. He wished that they had met up like this, in this place, but they did, and he had to watch the normally emotionally stable woman flicker like a candle in the breeze as she came to grips with what she was seeing. Running up to him as if she were about to wrap her arms around him and never let go again, her right hand swung around, cutting through the air as if it were butter, and she backhanded him. He held his face as the skin began to change into a soft pink where she had hit it, more surprised than the other two at this outcome, but he understood her anger and felt that it was more than justified.

"You bastard!" She struck him again, slightly softer than before, "I thought that you were..." She choked on a sob, taking the opportunity to smack him again, "I spent so many nights laying awake, thinking about you," Her voice cracked, tears welling up in her eyes, her fist coming down on his shoulder, "I spent so many years, filled with regret that I never got the chance to tell you that I-"

He cut her off, cupping her head between his hands, thumbs rubbing away her tears, "I spent every day thinking about you, Claire..."

"Oh, Steve!" Claire cried out, hitting her fist against his shoulder one last time, but the blow was so soft, her hand fell so that she was holding his heart, "I love you too."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>LUIS! Why did I have to do this to you? I wuv him, so why? Oh, so he can be in the story, and so I have a way of using both familiar and unfamiliar elements from the games. But, um, two things: I haven't been able to play/watch the added stuff with Ada and Luis (curse getting the original GameCube release), and I don't really know much about the T-Abyss either, but I did get to watch that game, so I just basically copied Rachael and made her into Luis. Speaking of, how in the hell did Leon come to care for him the way he did? At least now it kinda makes sense why H.U.N.K. was in the mini-game. Anyone else catch the reference to the original? Two rooms down, or Two Doors Down? Nah, I only know like one or _two_ of their songs, but still...

**To Recap This Chapter:** Leon and Ada see someone they had never expected to see ever again, mostly due to the fact that that person has been dead for about five years, Carlos has relatively smooth sailing, joining forces with Steve, and Chris and Co. decide to split up so that they can cover more ground. Old friends meet again and even older lovers unite in the flames of danger and adversity! But with great decisions comes great discoveries...

**Song: **As if you didn't see this coming... I give you "Reunited", by Peaches and Herb.

**Disclaimer: **Capcom owns Resident Evil, not me. All respective properties, like, but not limited to, songs, belong to their respective brands. All I can lay claim to is the Varis family... and this work of fiction. Any game-related information used in this story comes from the Resident Evil Wikia, actual game play, and videos (official ones of the games) come from YouTube.


	15. When I'm Gone

A steady beat, slow and slightly melancholy, came on over the radio placed atop the makeshift mound of towels and blankets that the dark-haired beauty was folding, porcelain legs spilling from a silken plum-colored nightgown and stretched out across one of the ornate wooden chairs in the brightly lit kitchen. Looking up from a dangerously floral cover comprised of nothing but pink and girlishness, Robin smiled fondly at the dinky device, places held together only by silver-white duct tape. She set down the blanket and twisted the knob up so that the song played even louder, her foot tapping in near-perfect sync with the song, though her humming could have used some work. The song was a classic, taking her back to a simpler, albeit more dangerous time in her life...

"How's it coming, mommy?" Chris chuckled at his easily distracted wife, forcing her from her nostalgic trip down memory lane, standing in the frame of the open hallway with his arms crossed, a tiny heap of magenta overflowing from the top, "Are the bedsheets ready yet?"

Ignoring him as the song finished, Robin kicked the chair out from under her legs, using the table to help herself balance as she stood, full belly making it harder for her to sit or get up than usual, "If you care about it so much, why don't you do it yourself, hm, daddy?" She grinned at him, hobbling over to kiss him on the cheek, "Trust me, I still have time to get the crib ready before the baby comes."

"Babies." Correcting her automatically, he rolled his dark blue eyes in her direction, "I remember that one... That was the exact same thing you said when we were picking out baby names the first time. You almost went into labor on the way to the hospital before we even came up with a name."

Robin scoffed at him, placing her fingers over his as she took his burden from him, not that the bundle he was holding was a burden, "Hey, everything worked out fine," She beamed at the small, half-sleeping bundle in her arms, cooing at it, "Isn't that right, Honora?"

Honora Beretta Redfield was the two and a half year old daughter of Chris and Robin Redfield, named after a trait that her parents both held in the highest regard, though it was only agreed upon after months of squabbles. She had a shock of dark hair, more black than brown, and it was already obvious that she took after her father physically, a detail that stood out most prominently being their identically shaped and colored eyes. Robin couldn't have been happier that her daughter had looked like her father, though no matter what she had come out looking like, her parents would have loved her unconditionally.

"Isn't Claire stopping by later?" Chris took all of the folded clothes in his arms and started carrying them out of the kitchen, feeling that it was the least he could do since he would be leaving again for work soon (well, shortly after Robin gave birth), "She wanted to get something that she forgot when they were over last week."

Chris had tried for a short while to get a normal job for his family's sake, but things in the world were gradually getting worse, and Robin saw how unhappy he was about his desk job, so she had told him to return to what it was that he loved best. She also told him that she felt safer knowing that a professional was on the front lines, protecting more than just the world. It killed her to watch him go, to have to worry about his safety every second that he was away from her, but she knew that he had the best chances of survival out of everyone else, and that due to sheer will power, he would see her and Honora again. But that was before she had found out that she was pregnant with the twins. Though he was gone when she had made that discovery, she had made him promise to be there for their birth before she would let him leave again, and he intended to see that promise through...

Robin nodded, paying more attention to the gentle flutter of Honora's lashes than Chris' idle chitchat, "Uh-huh. I'll get right on that."

It wasn't that she took her time with her husband for granted - far from it - it was just that Honora was so precious, especially when she was sleeping, and it seemed like she barely got to see that side of her daughter. Perhaps it was puerile to think it, but Robin swore sometimes that Honora would only go to sleep for her father, spending half of her waking hours teasing her mother. It was a wild exaggeration, she knew that, but Robin couldn't help but to blow things out of proportion these days.

Chris chuckled almost mutely as he left the kitchen, thinking fondly to himself what a good mother Robin was, how caring and natural she was with their adorable daughter...

**Leon Scott Kennedy and Ada Wong Versus Luis Sera...**

While Chris jogged down the network of interlacing hallways, keeping to the right and avoiding the left whenever possible - for whatever reason - his instincts leading him to the northern labs were a certain dark-haired gal was, Leon and Ada entered Luis' chamber with the silent intent to ease him into the next life. Luis deserved that much, and besides, Leon viewed it as his job to eliminate each and every monster he encountered, former friend or not. Ada's sentiments were similar, though not nearly so noble...

Stepping past the doorway, almost like stepping through a portal into another world, the doors hissed closed, sealing them in the room with the creature formerly known as Luis Sera. And as if on cue, it jerked awake, roaring an angry, hungry sort of roar that one might commonly associate with teenagers or overly hormonal people. Not exactly facing the duo, Luis seemed to sense their presence, and he seemed less than happy about it...

"Leon!" Ada pointed a few feet from them at the recently deceased body that had presumably been Luis' last meal, a shot gun clutched protectively in his clammy, blue-veined hand.

Ducking as the creature swung its extremities in wild, possibly blind, rage, Leon rolled just short of the body. Reaching out for the gun, his fingers brushed the cool metal barrel just as Luis swung again, roaring out incomprehensible babble. His pant leg had been caught on the bladed arm, so he had been dragged from the weapon, but always thinking on his feet, he tore the material off, skidding to a sudden stop, inches from the wall. Ada, on the other hand, didn't fair so well as the surprisingly flexible Leon and was struck to the opposite wall, flying through the air like rock from a catapult. She hit the metallic surface with a sickening thud, blood running from her temple, and she was still.

"Ada!" Leon cried out for her, but she didn't respond. Whatever her condition was, there was no time for him to fret over it, between attempting to survive and getting a grasp on the shotgun.

Filled renewed purpose, Leon crawled on his stomach until he had the gun in his hands, the barrel pointed at Luis' back, his attention pointed at the prone body of the former female spy, mouth poised to sink deep into her flesh, "Hey, Luis, chew on this!"

Pausing to gaze at Leon, or at least in the direction of the sound, Luis only had enough time to turn before a spray of shell was spewing his brains in a bloody waterfall against the far wall. He didn't even have the time to roar in pain and anguish as his life was snuffed out once more.

Watching as Luis crumpled once more - hopefully for the last time - Leon closed his eyes for a moment, offering a moment to a dear friend. But there wasn't as much to dwell on that as he would have liked, because Ada still had yet to rise. Dashing over to her side, he refused to believe that she was in any immediate danger, because she was the unkillible Ada Wong.

Holding her in his arms as she struggled to come to, he told her as much, "Come on, Ada, you've shaken off worse than this!"

Laughing weakly, she opened her eyes, reaching up for the injury, "This is nothing..."

Sitting up slowly with her hand over her temple, he backed away just enough so he wasn't in her space, keeping one hand ghosted over her back should she fall. She was a strong individual, and the ultimate survivor, and yet he couldn't help but to worry about her - and this time wasn't personal. That was a nasty spill, and no one he knew could possibly walk away from it unscathed.

And he was right. Reaching into the small black pack on her waist, the spy extracted a roll of sturdy white gauze and began to wind it around her crown, using roughly half of it up, "After everything, I know better than to go anywhere without a small medical kit."

That was wise, especially in their lines of work, "Just give me a knife, and I'll be fine."

Ada cocked her head at him in curiosity, causing her vision to flicker slightly, "Really? That's not what it sounds like to me."

"What are you talking about?" Once more, Leon was in the dark as to what Ada meant, and he knew that it would not be the last time he felt that way either. She was an enigma, and somehow always five steps ahead of him. He wondered who her contact was, because there was just no way any one single person could know so much without directly being there for themselves.

It really wasn't that complicated this time, at least not where she was concerned, "After I took out the big guy, you took another nap." That wasn't news to him, since something like that must have happened for him to find himself waking up in a storage closet, "And you were talking in your sleep."

Shit!

Ada smirked playfully at Leon, "So who's Robin? Your girlfriend back home?" She snorted, knowing him better than that, "No, you're too busy saving the world to meet an ordinary girl... Your latest partner, perhaps?" The look on his face confirmed as much to her, "You never do learn, do you? Always falling for the same thing..." Ada looked off to the side for a moment, "Should I be jealous?"

It was Leon's turn to snort, "You, jealous? That would be the day."

"It may come as a surprise to you Leon, but I do have a heart." She thought of her own life, of everything she had ever done, of those nameless faces she had buried, "Maybe not like you though." She looked at him in a way that he could only describe as rueful, "Whatever happens, I hope you do find someone that can make you happy. Really. You deserve it." It was probably the first fully true thing she had ever told him, and the last.

He looked into her breath-taking brown eyes, seeing that whatever did happen on this mission, there was just no chance that they could ever be together in an honest capacity. It hurt to know that, but at the same time, after years of back and forth, it was a relief to know, because now he could begin to let her go. It would be nice to finally meet a girl that he could have a functioning relationship with.

If only the girl he had in mind was available...

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>Babies... It feels as if I'm watching Episode 3 again, correcting them every single time that Padme or Anakin talk about the twins. And oh yeah, that was so a Scott Pilgrim reference! Heh, Cera, Sera, that's pretty awesome! Oh, and if anyone wonders, Honora is what I have decided to name Chris' daughter, should he have one... _He will_. Damn, I love "_Get Him To The Greek_"! Anyways, should Chris and Robin have the baby, her name will be Honora Beretta Redfield. Honor the handgun, young Redfield. No, that's not why I came up with that name scheme, but it does better explain the name, just in case anyone gets confuzzled. And I just tend to over-explain pointless things, so there's also that. But seriously, how in the hell was Leon so concerned about a guy he spoke to all of three times?! I just don't get it! At this rate, I doubt I ever will...

**To Recap This Chapter:** In the possible (note the word **POSSIBLE**) future, Robin and Chris are not only married, but have a family with more on the way, and they are happy together, but in the present, Leon's past catches up with him in a very unexpected way, and he is forced to either kill an old friend or be killed. And Ada shows a splash of humanity...?!

**Song: **"When I'm Gone", By, surprisingly, 3 Doors Down. After the last few chapters (if anyone even remembers those), it might have been inevitable, but I think it was all coincidence this time. I looked through a number of songs, and somehow I felt like only this one fit.

**Disclaimer: **Capcom owns Resident Evil, not me. All respective properties, like, but not limited to, songs, belong to their respective brands. All I can lay claim to is the Varis family... and this work of fiction. Any game-related information used in this story comes from the Resident Evil Wikia, actual game play, and videos (official ones of the games) come from YouTube.


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